


Ties That Bind

by 18lzytwner



Series: ThunderCats Second Series [5]
Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-11-18
Updated: 2007-11-18
Packaged: 2019-07-03 19:52:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 22,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15825819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: Mumm-Ra has a new plan to destroy the ThunderCats and this time he might just get away with it.





	1. Chapter 1

Clouds formed in the sky and the air cooled as it came over the mountains. The trees were barren of leaves and the grass had long since turned from green to brown. Many animals had sought shelter in the days and weeks before. As the cool wind swept across the empty plains a large formidable structure rose from the valley, it's cat head casting a comforting shadow on the landscape below.

Inside the fortress, a little cub stirred from bed. Running to the window she saw the sight before her and giggled. The five year old left her room and headed to the room next door. The automatic door slid open upon the little girl's command.

Inside the room, there was a large bed containing the two people she loved the most, her parents. She used the skills given to her by those parents and hit the bed at full speed. Bouncing up and down on the mattress she cried,

"It's snowing!" This exclamation shook her parents from their slumber.

"What is this little one doing in our bed?" Lion-O asked his wife.

"I don't know who she is, I don't recognize her." Cheetara teased.

"Mommy." Sahara gave a slight frown. Lion-O grabbed his baby girl and pulled her unto his stomach.

"Now what is this about snow?" He asked.

"Follow me Daddy." Sahara said and in a flash she was gone from her seat and at the window. The Lord of the ThunderCats got up, wearing only his red satin pajama pants. Cheetara followed wearing a matching red nightgown that came to her knees. The two loving parents came to the window and saw the big white flakes falling down from the sky. A shiver went through the cheetah and her husband pulled her to his warm chest. Still after seven years they behaved like newlyweds.

"Can we go out and play Mommy?" Sahara asked as she watched her breath fog up the window. Cheetara looked to Lion-O. She was supposed to be on duty soon.

"You can go, only if you get your brother up." Lion-O smiled. Just like that Sahara was out the door and down to her three year old brother's room.

"I have to go on duty in two hours. Do you want to take the kids out?" Cheetara wondered.

"I'll take your shift. You take the kids out. I'm sure that Pumyra will be taking Tyler out too." He said as he kissed her forehead.

"But then you'll be working a double. Let me work your second shift." The cheetah offered.

"You should stay with the kids. They always want to spend time with you." The Lord of the ThunderCats told her.

"They want to spend time with both of us. Now you take the kids out and I'll get ready for my shift." Cheetara smiled and headed for the bathroom. Lion-O smirked; she always said he was the stubborn one. He pulled on his bathrobe and headed for the bedroom his son and daughter shared.

"Daddy!" Sahara shouted as the door opened. The lion got down on his knees and grabbed up his baby girl. He held her tight as his son tottled over to his father.

"Dada." He said.

"Come here, Leo. How's my big boy?" Lion-O scooped up his second child. He gave the two a big hug. They were the best thing that ever happened to him, besides marrying the love of his life and he didn't know what he would do without them.

A few miles away in a dark dank pyramid, an ancient figure stood before a large bubbling cauldron. He watched the Lord of the ThunderCats play with his cubs. Time and time again those blasted ThunderCats had ruined his plans.

"This time Lion-O you will get what's coming to you. On the heads of the Ancient Ones, this I swear."


	2. Chapter 2

Mumm-Ra turned from his cauldron and headed towards his sarcophagus. The ever-living source of evil chanted a spell that was as old as he was and the coffin moved aside. A hidden chamber revealed itself and he walked through the secret doorway, the stale air filled his nostrils and he shook his head slightly. Ahead of him there was an ancient book that had inches of dust and spider webs covering it. Mumm-Ra took his ancient weathered hand and brushed the filth away from the book's old leather cover. He then muttered another ancient spell and the book opened.

"It has been years since I've used you my precious spell book but again the time has come to use your mighty curses. Only you will rid me of those blasted ThunderCats." The mummy carefully lifted each page and read its contents searching for the one spell that would do the job. All kinds of evil went by as the pages continued to move toward the back of the book. None of them particularly caught the ever-living source of evil's eye. He wanted Lion-O to suffer humiliation before he died, not just any slow and painful death. First, he would have to let the other ThunderCats watch him fail miserably then they would scorn and detest him. Once that happened, he would be nothing and easily destroyed. It was then that Mumm-Ra stopped flipping the pages and an evil smile crossed his face.

"This is the one." He said.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Over in Cat's Lair, Sahara, Leo, and Tyler were warming up in the kitchen from their morning outside. Snow had begun to fall again and Lion-O thought it best to get everyone inside before someone caught a cold. Once one person got sick in the Lair, it didn't take long for everyone to come down with it. Snarf was busy whipping up his famous hot cocoa and the kids were waiting anxiously.

"Well I think they got their exercise for the day." Pumyra smiled as she helped Tyler pull off his boots.

"Yes they really enjoy playing the in snow. Of course if the weather keeps up we'll be shoveling out for the next few days." Lion-O smiled back as he took his cub's wet clothes and walked them over to the basket in the corner that Snarf had set there earlier.

"Daddy, my nose is cold." Sahara said.

"I bet it is, you kept putting your head in the drifts out there." The lion crouched down so he was eye level with his daughter and touched her nose. It was indeed cold but it would be warming up soon.

"Mommy, where is Daddy?" Tyler asked the puma. As if he knew that his son was going to ask that question, Ben-Gali walked into the room.

"Why here are my two favorite cats."

"Daddy!" The little pumiger exclaimed. His father lifted him out of the chair and gave him a big hug.

"Hey how's my little man?" Ben-Gali asked.

"Good. Mommy and I played outside." Tyler told him.

"I see that. Well here comes Snarf with your hot cocoa." The tiger set his son back down and leaned over to Pumyra, kissing her cheek.

"Hey baby." He said.

"Hey yourself." She said audibly. The puma leaned over and whispered something into his ear.

"You know they say whispering while other people are in the room is very rude." Lion-O teased. They smiled and didn't say anything. The Lord of the ThunderCats took the hint and helped his cubs drink their hot cocoa.


	3. Chapter 3

In the black pyramid, Mumm-Ra collected the ingredients he would need to conjure the hex he had found in his book. He smirked as he mixed the eye of newt, a unicorn's hair, a quarter cup of Berbil joint oil, and cartilage from the Black Widow Shark, into the bubbling waters of his large cauldron. These ingredients would start the ball rolling for the destruction of the ThunderCats.

"These ingredients will create the perfect concoction to make Lion-O trip and fall from that high pedestal that his comrades put him on." The mummy watched the components dissolve and the water turn a strange green color and begin to froth.

"Rise from your prison, my bringer of death! Rise to do my bidding!" Mumm-Ra commanded. From the foam rose a small creature. Ma-Mutt growled and barked at the thing. To anyone else, they may have thought the ancient evil one had lost his marbles. Before him sat a kitten, which looked as cute as could be.

"Gorlock, what are you doing in that disgusting form? Address me as you are normally. Be proud of what you are." Mumm-Ra ordered. With one shake of his body the creature become more fearsome. It grew to stand seven feet tall with broad arm and chest muscles, with course brown fur. Sharp claws and fangs emerged on the end of a long dog-like snout.

"Ah there you are. No isn't that better?" The ever-living source of evil wondered.

"Better. Now what is it you require, my master?" The creature asked.

"I want you to destroy the ThunderCats. Humiliate their leader and then bring me his head on a stick." Mumm-Ra ordered.

"Any particular way you want this deed done?" Gorlock inquired.

"I want the others to hate him and publicly denounce him before you finish the job, they started." The mummy told him.

"Sounds difficult but then I do enjoy a good challenge." The shape-shifter smirked.

"Go then and do your worst." Mumm-Ra said. With a nod, Gorlock spread his arms and transformed into a great eagle. With speed and agility, the evil creature flew out of the pyramid.

"So it begins." Mumm-Ra laughed his evil laugh and headed for his sarcophagus for a well-earned nap.

At Cat's Lair, the cubs had been put down for a nap and the adults gathered in the counsel room. There were some plans to iron out for the usual big Christmas party that the ThunderCats held each year.

"So what exactly is left to take car of? Lion-O and Ben-Gali promised to a get a tree tomorrow and Tygra and I have brought the decorations out of storage. Snarf has already ordered the food he needs for the feast. Snarfer has the lights and decorations for the outside of the Lair going. The girls are decorating the inside of the ballroom." Panthro said.

"Yes, what is there left to do?" Cheetara wondered.

"Two things still need to be done. One is who's turn is it to play Santa?" Pumyra asked.

"I did it last year." Lion-O said.

"I did it the year before." Tygra spoke up.

"You've got to be kidding. It's my turn again?" Ben-Gali gave an over-exaggerated sigh.

"Oh no, it isn't your turn. It's Panthro's." WilyKat said. The panther grimaced. He hated playing Santa.

"That's right it is." A smirk crossed Lion-O's face. The panther rolled his eyes and said,

"Yes, its my turn. Now what was the other thing we needed to discuss?" Using the quick change of subject, he hoped that the others wouldn't poke fun at him.

"The other item is completely unrelated to the party." Pumyra told the group.

"Oh really? Could it have something to do with the whispering that was going on earlier?" Lion-O wondered. This made the puma blush but she continued as her husband squeezed her hand,

"Ben-Gali and I are going to have another cub." At this the room erupted in congratulations.


	4. Chapter 4

The sky darkened and clouds began to push closer together as they threatened to dump more snow on New Thundera. The wind increased outside as it could be heard howling while it whipped by the Lair formidable outside. A ship was trying to find a spot to land but the weather was making it very difficult. The lone pilot struggled to keep the ship on course.

"Come on you hunk of junk. Just a little farther and we'll be on the ground." The lioness manhandled the steering controls as she tried to keep the old rust bucket in the air. She gritted her teeth and poked the radio button.

"This is Lea's Pride, requesting immediate assistance to anyone who can hear me." The radio cackled with nothing but static and the lioness tried again as the snow began to come down in every direction.

"This is Lea's Pride, requesting immediate assistance. Is anyone out there?" This time she got a strong voice over the air.

"This is Cat's Lair, Lea's Pride. Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can. Where are you? I can't see a blasted thing." She replied.

"We have the Lair lights on as well as the landing pad lights. You can't see them?" He wondered.

"I just said that, wise-ass. The snow is being whipped around like crazy up here." Her sarcastic remark made the ThunderCat on the other end chuckle. When he met this cat in person, he had no doubt she would be a hoot.

"All right, we'll scramble to set something up so you can see. Just hang in there." He told her.

"I'll do the best I can." The lioness told him. The radio went silent and she continued to struggle to keep the ship going.

"Come on baby, come on. We can make it I know it." She tried to sweet talk the older space vehicle to do what she wanted it to but it didn't seem to be working. Then she saw a bright light through the snow and knew that was her opportunity. She steered the ship in the general direction when the voice came back over the radio.

"How is that? Can you see it now?"

"Yes and I'm heading for it. I…" the sentence never finished and the ThunderCat manning the radio tried to bring her back but got no response.

"Lion-O!" He shouted. The Lord of the ThunderCats was way ahead of him as he rushed out the door. They pulled on their Thermal Thunderwear and bolted outside. The two ran as fast as they could and Lion-O called to the Sword of Omens. The Cat's Signal lit up the sky and found the ship as it was floundering in the air. Lea's Pride had come in too low and clipped the trees that grew around the bottom of the Lair's outside staircase. It seemed to be out of control but with the help of the Sword of Omens, Lion-O guided the ship to a skidding landing. Lea's Pride stopped when it hit the edge of the limestone blocks that began the landing for the Lair's staircase. The abrupt stop caused the ship to shake and the side panels, including the exit, crumpled inward.

"We have to get inside. She could be trapped in there." Panthro shouted above the wind to the lion. In response the Lord of the ThunderCats put the Sword of Omens away and headed for the ship. By now the others had come running after seeing the Cat's Signal. The group reached the ship and tried to find a way in.

On the inside of the ship, the lioness pilot was out cold. She had banged her head onto the console panel during the rough landing. It was the smell of leaking fuel however that slowly brought her out of her unconscious state. Putting her hand to her forehead, she found blood. Knowing she needed medical attention, she tried to stand up but found that the floor was too busy swinging in all sorts of directions for her to get a firm footing and she fell. That's when she heard the pounding on the ship's hull.

"We've got to get in there. The ship is leaking fuel." Panthro pointed to the snow turning a reddish brown color.

"That's not good." Lion-O said.

"What are our options?" Tyrga asked.

"Let's go around to the other side and see if we can't break the main window. Whoever is inside there will be choking on the fumes." Ben-Gali told them.

"Let's do it." Cheetara said before rushing around the side of Lea's Pride. Lion-O gave a smile and the group followed the cheetah to the window.

"I'd better break the window with my bo-staff. It will reduce the chance of showering the cockpit with glass." She told them.

"Good idea. You break the class and we'll go in to retrieve the pilot and passengers." Lion-O nodded. Cheetara nodded back and with a mighty heave forced her bo-staff into the window. The first attempt yielded a crack that began to spread. She hit it again and the weapon made another good chip. The cheetah was about to do it again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning she saw Lion-O. He put his hands on the staff, lending his strength to hers, and with one great smash the window broke. Glass flew everywhere and Ben-Gali, Tygra, Panthro, Lion-O and WilyKat went into the ship while WilyKit and Cheetara cleared the broken glass to make the others exit as easy as possible.

The first person they found was the pilot. She was conscious but not very responsive. Tygra stayed with her to examine her forehead while the others searched the ship for other occupants. It didn't take long to cover the small ship and they soon found no one else aboard.

"Let's get out of here. I need to look at her forehead in better light and see if she's hurt anywhere else." The orange tiger told them.

"I'll carry her." Panthro offered quickly and carefully lifted the lioness up off the floor. He made his way to the broken window and made his way out.

"All right, let's get out of here. Hopefully in the morning we can examine the ship and get her into the hangar." Lion-O said.

"What about the leaking fuel?" WilyKat asked.

"With the storm we can't see that well and the snow will make the fuel less likely to ignite, we should be good until morning." Ben-Gali told him. With that decision made, the ThunderCats made their way back into Cat's Lair, unaware of the eyes that had been watching the whole incident unfold. Silently the figure made his way through the snow toward the Lair knowing his tracks would be hidden as the wind continued to whip the frozen precipitation around.


	5. Chapter 5

"Beep. Beep. Beep." The constant sound of the medical machines around the infirmary caused the patient sleeping there to slowly rouse from the light sleep that had come over her. She had fought to break through the fogginess after her head was slammed into the control panel on the bridge of her ship.

"Where am I?" She asked, as she realized the beeping wasn't her ship telling her something was wrong. Her head pounded something terrible but she had to get out of there.

"Hello there. I'm glad to see you are awake. I am Tygra of the ThunderCats. Welcome to Cat's Lair." The orange and black tiger introduced himself.

"A ThunderCat?" The lioness's eyes went wide which didn't help the fact that her head was in pain and her eyes didn't seem to like the light.

"Yes. I am chief architect and medical officer. And you are?" He wondered as he helped the she-cat sit up.  _She seems to be squinting quite a bit_ , the tiger thought.

"I am Leanna of the lion clan. I'm here on a business trip from Space Base Thirteen." She introduced herself continuing to squint.

"Well all right. As soon as I'm sure you don't have a concussion, you can leave the sick bay and tend to your business." Tygra said.

"Thank you so much for helping me but I really must be on my way." Leanna told him as she tried to stand up but found that the floor was spinning too wildly for her to put her feet down. Plopping back on the bed, the tiger smiled.

"You aren't going anywhere. Pumyra was right; you do have a concussion. Take it easy and I'll see if I can rustle up some food from the kitchen." Tygra was about to leave the room when Panthro walked in.

"Tygra, I…" he never finished his sentence as he saw the lioness was awake.

"I was just on my way out to get Leanna something to eat. Why don't you keep her company while I'm gone?" His friend offered.

"I just needed…" but Tygra was gone before the panther could finish his sentence.

"So is it your turn to guard the prisoner?" The lioness wondered sarcastically.

"You're not a prisoner. We just want to make sure you are well before releasing you." The panther replied.

"Oh I see. Well I wouldn't have been in such bad shape if that storm hadn't of blown me off course. How is my ship?" She asked.

"I'm fixing it up right now. We pulled it into the hanger a few hours ago once the winds had calmed down. My name is Panthro by the way." He told her.

"Are you a ThunderCat as well?" She asked.

"Yes, I am." He told her.

"Your voice sounds familiar. Are you the one I called a 'wise-ass'?" The lioness wondered running a hand through her long ebony hair. Panthro slowly licked his lips and replied.

"That was me." Leanna grimaced.

"Well I certainly know how to treat my rescuers." She said, making a face despite the pain in her head. This made Panthro chuckle.

"So tell me Leanna, what were you doing out in the storm?"

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Meanwhile in the bowels of Cat's Lair, Gorlock stood still trying to warm himself up. The night he'd spent in the Cat's Head had been a cold one. When he saw the ThunderCats load the broken ship into their hanger, he changed into a bird and swooped inside without being noticed. He silently slipped through the building changing into a fly.

"How am I to disgrace the one they call Lion-O? The others respect him very much and it will be hard to break them of that respect." He said to himself.

"Of course there is more than one way to break a man." He smirked.


	6. Chapter 6

Lion-O sat at Cat's Lair's control panels and scanned the area to see how much the storm had affected New Thundera. Some places were buried while others had only a few inches. The Thunder Guard had been dispatched to help those that could dig themselves out but other than that there didn't seem to be any other problems. No reports of lost power or large objects blocking roadways, so all and all they had been lucky. The control room doors opened up and he turned to see Cheetara saunter in.

"What is it babe?" He asked as the look on the cheetah's face told him something was wrong.

"Well nothing much if you consider the fact that Panthro hasn't been doing his duties today. I went to drop off lunch for the guys in the hangar and Ben-Gali tells me that the panther seems to be a little out to lunch. He's getting things wrong that normally wouldn't even cause a hiccup and it's taking them twice as long to fix Leanna's ship." His mate remarked.

"Hmmm sounds like we have one distracted panther." The Lord of the ThunderCats raised an eyebrow.

"More like a love sick panther." Cheetara corrected him.

"Pardon?" Her mate questioned.

"Well Tygra says he spent almost an hour and a half with Leanna while she ate a meal and the two of them really seemed to hit it off. Panthro told her that as soon as he was done for the day, he'd come back and visit her." She explained.

"Oh I see. Well I guess I'd better go have a chat with him. The Kittens are due for their turn monitoring everything so I'll go talk to him soon. Anything else I should know about?" Lion-O wondered. Cheetara pulled herself close to him and smiled.

"Just hurry back after your talk. I miss you." She told him. The cheetah then planted a sound kiss on his lips. When they parted she turned and left the room, swaying her hips.

"Sweet Berbil fruit." He murmured. Just then the ThunderKittens walked into the control room.

"Anything we should know about?" WilyKat asked.

"Everything seems to be under control. I'll be down in the hangar if you need me." Lion-O said clearing this throat.

"Ok." Both of the teenaged twins shrugged and plopped themselves down in the command chairs. The Lord of the ThunderCats took off for the hangar hoping that he could get Panthro back on track fast.

Gorlock watched from his hiding place on the wall. It was obvious that Lion-O and Cheetara were deeply in love and that two of the cubs that he saw earlier had to belong to them. A committed family man and leader of his people yet nothing bad seemed to jump out.

There has to be a way to turn the cheetah's love to hate, he thought to himself. Quickly the fly left his spot and decided to visit the hangar for more juicy tidbits.

Lion-O strode into the hangar to find Panthro, Ben-Gali, and Snarfer arguing over something. Letting out a heavy sigh, the lion interrupted them.

"What in the name of Jaga is going on in here?" This made the three turn to their leader.

"We can't get agreement over the repair to the side panel. Snarfer and I think we should reinforce the steel with more steel but Panthro think we should just replace the panels all together." The white tiger spoke up.

"Replacing the panels would be faster and they would be more reliable." Panthro argued.

"We don't have enough panels to do that with. We'd have to manufacture some and that would take longer because the steel factory won't be getting any raw material shipments until the weather and the roads clears." Ben-Gali retorted.

"All right, that's enough. What happened to handling this like we normally do? Since when do we argue? I suggest you use the safest method to replace the side panels. Tygra informed me that Leanna has a concussion and won't be able to leave for at least two weeks. In that time I'm sure you can do what is necessary. Now I want  _you all_  to focus and get back to work." Lion-O stressed the words 'you' and 'all' hoping to get his message across. Shaking his head, the Lord of the ThunderCats turned and walked out of the hangar.

 _Unrest amongst the Cats; this maybe easier than I thought_ , Gorlock smirked to himself as he watched the chaos below.  _The one they call Leanna seems to be the root of the disturbances that will be the key to bringing these miserable do-gooders to their knees_. With that the fly took off looking for the lioness.


	7. Chapter 7

Leanna sat in the sick bay trying to get her thoughts in order. She was supposed to handover a shipment of experimental chemicals to the research lab on New Thundera and then head back to base. According to Tygra, her medical condition would make it tough to do that and of course the shape of her ship. She hoped that one of the ThunderCats had called Space Base Thirteen to let them know of her hold up. Just then the sick bay doors opened and in walked a puma.

"Hello there. I'm Pumyra." The female cat introduced herself. It was obvious from the cat symbol on her uniform that she too was a ThunderCat.

"Hello. I'm Leanna. Tygra mentioned you earlier." The lioness smiled.

"Well did he mention that I was taking the late shift to keep you company?" The puma continued to smile. Her good nature was something that Leanna hadn't totally expected but she certainly welcomed it.

"No, seems he left that part out. Nice to see some women around here though." A smirk crossed the lioness' face.

"Yes, Jaga knows this place would fall apart without us and Snarf of course." Pumyra giggled. The door opened and in walked Cheetara.

"I heard someone was throwing a party in here and I just had to see for myself." The cheetah smiled.

"A party? Is that what's going on?" Leanna asked a little confused.

"Oops, I forgot to mention that." Pumyra winked and turned to Cheetara.

"Did you bring the kit?"

"Oh I brought it." A smile crossed her friend's face. Turning to the lioness, she said,

"My name is Cheetara by the way."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Leanna. What kit are we talking about?" The patient wondered.

"A little kit we girls break out when we want to pamper ourselves. We figured after your rough landing you could use some relaxation." Pumyra told her.

"Sounds great but my head is killing me." Leanna said.

"No worries, that shot that Tygra gave you earlier should be kicking in soon. It'll relieve the pain." The puma reassured her.

"So where should we start?" Cheetara wondered.

"Hmmm, probably where we usually start, the nails." Pumyra smiled. The cheetah gave a nod and ducked back out of the room and into the hallway. When she reentered the room a few seconds later, no one noticed the fly that came in with her. Soon the three were getting to know each other better and laughing like they'd been friends for years.

 _She has made fast friends with the other females; I should be able to use that friendship. Still it will be hard to make them believe that Lion-O has done wrong. The only way to make them believe is to have physical proof._  Gorlock thought to himself as he observed the two ThunderCats and their guest. That's when the sick bay doors opened and in walked Panthro.

"Uh oh, here comes trouble." Cheetara teased. She could see the redness in Leanna's cheeks after she made her comment.

"Trouble? What are you saying?" The panther gave her a look.

"Oh nothing. I have to be on my way. It's way past Sahara and Leo's bedtime. I want to be able to read them their favorite story before they fall asleep. No doubt Snarf has had them bouncing around their room." The cheetah said.

"He spoils them rotten, doesn't he? He's the same way with Tyler and no doubt he'll be the same with our next cub." Pumyra smiled and thoughtfully put her hand on her stomach. Panthro laughed at this and Leanna gave a slight chuckle however his eyes mostly stayed on the lioness. She now had her long ebony hair in a long braid and her cheeks had a little makeup on them, accenting the sparkle in her eyes. Strange feelings welled up inside the string blue cat that made him go all soft inside. An awkward silence fell over the group and Cheetara broke it a few minutes later.

"Well I have to go. It was nice to meet you Leanna. I'll stop by tomorrow before my shift." The cheetah smiled and left the room. Pumyra shifted in her seat and turned to the two.

"I have some paperwork to fill out so I'll be focused on that if you need me." She smiled and then focused on the nearby computer screen. Both cats nodded and then focused on each other. The panther took a seat in a nearby chair.

"It's good to see you again." Leanna smiled.

"Well I promised I'd came back and I'm a cat of my word." Panthro couldn't help but smile.

"I see that. So how's my ship coming?" She asked.

"Good but we have to wait for the new side panels to come in and that well take at least a week because of the storm." He told her.

"What about my shipment?" The lioness wondered.

"It's being sent out to the lab tomorrow morning at first light. I'm going to take the ThunderTank out and deliver it myself." Panthro promised. A certain look of disappointment crossed her face.

"It was my job to deliver it. I was supposed to handle the transaction." It was obviously upsetting that someone else had to do her job for her.

"Well I'm sure they'll understand. Besides it's not everyday they get a visit from a ThunderCat." The panther said trying to make her feel better.

"Does that mean that you can somehow do it better than me? I've been in the delivery business for years and I'm good at my job. Never once has someone else had to deliver my packages." Leanna's blood began to boil.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm just trying to be helpful." Panthro protested; his anger was starting to get at him.

"All right that's enough you two. I can't get any work done with you arguing and I'm not going to let my patient be badgered." Pumyra stepped in. Panthro didn't say anything and stood from his seat. Silently he left the room, leaving the lioness to stew. A smirk crossed Gorlock's face as he followed the panther out.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning dawned and Leanna felt better. Tygra checked her over and decided that a bit of exercise wouldn't be such a bad thing for the lioness. He said the two of them could walk down to breakfast and then he'd give her a tour of the Lair. That sounded good to her and she stood up without any help. Then the two headed out of the sick bay and down to the kitchen.

"Mmmmm that smells wonderful." Leanna commented as they drew nearer to the dining room.

"Snarf always has something amazing cooking. This morning smells like his famous Berbil fruit pancakes." Tygra smiled.

"Berbil fruit?" The lioness asked as she ran a hand through her ebony hair.

"Amazing sweet fruit that we get shipped from Third Earth. The Berbils are our allies and they helped us build Cat's Lair and the Tower of Omens on the same planet. We lived there for some time before New Thundera reformed." The orange tiger explained.

"Oh I see. Well the ship that we were on made it to Space Base Thirteen and I've lived there all my life. It is a place of many different peoples and cultures so all of us aboard fit right in. The shipment I was bringing was the first to come to New Thundera and I jumped at the chance to come here. I wanted to learn all about the planet and to see if Thundera had truly been restored to the glory my parents so often spoke of when I was younger." Leanna told him as they entered the dining room. Most of the ThunderCats were already there, sitting at their usual chairs chatting amongst themselves. The lioness recognized Cheetara and Pumyra but not any of the others. Tygra cleared his throat and silence fell across the room.

"Some of you know our guest and others don't. Leanna, may I introduce the ThunderCats." Tygra smiled as the group warmly welcomed the lioness. Introductions were made and everyone began chatting again. Another chair was brought to the table and Leanna sat next to WilyKit. A few minutes later, Panthro walked in and took his seat. The panther avoided eye contact with the lioness and immediately turned to talk to Ben-Gali about the ship repairs. Another minute passed and another cat entered the room. He stood tall with muscles that would make any cat jealous with the exception of those in the room. Everyone suddenly stood at attention as he made his way to the head of the table.

"So I'm guessing Cheetara put you up to this." He smirked as he took his seat.

"I know how much you enjoy it." She smiled as the group let out a collective chuckle and sat back down. Leanna was slightly confused and Kit leaned over to explain.

"Lion-O hates it when we all stand up as he enters the room. He really just wishes to be treated like one of the rest of us." Leanna was about to ask another question when the lion spoke up.

"I see we have a special guest this morning."

"Yes, we do. I thought a little exercise wouldn't hurt." Tygra smiled, leaving an opportunity for the lioness to speak up.

"My name is Leanna, sir." She introduced herself.

"Please just call me Lion-O. I'm glad to see you are up and about and feeling better." He smiled and was about to say something else when a small furry creature entered the room with three large piles of pancakes.

"Breakfast!" He called out.

"We were beginning to wonder Snarf." Ben-Gali teased.

"Well I hope you like your pancakes cold because you're getting served last." Snarf shot back.

"A little feisty this morning, aren't we?" Lion-O asked. A few of the ThunderCats laughed and the pancakes were handed out. Everyone enjoyed their breakfast, especially Leanna who ate five pancakes and three slices of toast.

"Well she is certainly feeling better." Lion-O said quietly to Cheetara twenty minutes later.

"I guess so. I think a little fresh air is in order." The cheetah gave him a nudge and he winked back. About fifteen minutes more minutes passed and the group began to break up, as there were tasks that needed to be done.

"Panthro, Tygra, can I speak to you a moment?" The Lord of the ThunderCats wondered. Quickly the two came to his side. They discussed something and then broke up. Tygra came to Leanna and said,

"Lion-O thinks, and I agree, that you should get some fresh air. Panthro is taking the ThunderTank to deliver your shipment and that would be a good opportunity to finish the job you started." Leanna gave him a slight look, unsure if this was because of the argument that Panthro or because they were just trying to be nice.

"Sounds great." The lioness smiled.

"Good then it's all settled. Let's get you down to the hangar." Tygra nodded.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

It wasn't long before Panthro and Leanna were out in the ThunderTank. They both wore thermal Thunderwear to keep warm. Leanna had borrowed Cheetara's and marveled at the warmth they offered. The monstrous vehicle plowed through the snow and debris that was in the road without much trouble. It was a loud ride but the lioness was enjoying it. However the silence between the two occupants of the ThunderTank was beginning to get oppressive. The entire twenty-minute ride to the facility was silent.

"We're here." Panthro muttered as he cut the ThunderTank's massive engines.

"So I see. Can I help you with the load?" Leanna asked. Against his better judgment, the panther nodded. He opened the storage compartment and hauled the first box out and then the second. They walked to the door where a scientist there warmly greeted them.

"It is an honor to meet the mighty Panthro and a fellow ThunderCat." He said, his nametag read 'Dr. Chituar'.

"Sorry, we're late. I had to adjust some of the equipment on the ThunderTank and it took longer than I thought." The panther explained, not bothering to correct him. Leanna wasn't sure if that was so but it would explain why he hadn't left before breakfast.

"That is quite all right. King Lion-O called and said you'd be late. We're just tickled pink that it got here after the storm." Dr. Chituar smiled as he led them into the facility. At the mention of Lion-O's name being preceded by 'King', Leanna turned a little white.

"Are you ok?" Panthro asked a little concerned.

"Yes, I'll be fine." She reassured him. They dropped off the boxes off and headed back to the ThunderTank. After they hopped back into the versatile vehicle, the lioness turned to the panther.

"I want to apologize for yesterday. I didn't mean that I didn't want your help, I just take a lot of pride in my job and I wanted to complete what I started." She told him. Panthro turned to her and gave her a smile.

"Don't worry about it." At that the lioness leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. As she started to pull away the panther stopped her. Confused, Leanna gave him a look. He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. At first he was surprised that she didn't pull away but he was even more surprised when she pulled him closer and returned a much more hearty kiss. Despite having only known each other for a couple of days, both felt they had known each other for their entire lives. They continued to kiss and soon the glass cover on the ThunderTank was fogging up. It was then that the radio crackled and Ben-Gali's voice came over the receiver.

"Lair to ThunderTank, come in ThunderTank." Panthro let go of Leanna and quickly answered the call.

Later that day, Leanna was walking around Cat's Lair determined to get some exercise after being in bed for over a day. Her thoughts were filled with that of a strong male panther. They hadn't been able to talk after they returned to the Lair and now she had to wait until he got off shift. She wasn't paying attention to the ground in front of her and didn't notice the strange looking bump in the rug. Her foot hit the bump and she sailed forward. Someone who had been coming down the hall immediately ran and caught her in their arms before she hit the floor.


	9. Chapter 9

Unfortunately for Lion-O, the sudden force of the lioness falling into his arms and the slippery edge of the uncarpeted Lair floor caused the two to tumble into a pile. Leanna's knee found the lion's jewels and he bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out. He moved his hands to make sure the boys were all right and instead found the lioness' ample chest. Now both were blushing and trying to get away from each other when Panthro rounded the corner. Needless to say what he saw didn't make him happy.

"What the hell…?" The panther didn't finish the sentence as the two finally managed to get off each other. When Lion-O finally managed to stand up he was confronted with an angry panther. Neither one knew what to say but the Lord of the ThunderCats could see the boiling that Panthro was doing by the look in his eyes.

"All right you two stand down." Leanna broke the heavy silence. The panther turned to her with the same look that he'd just given Lion-O.

"I fell and Lion-O tried to catch me that's it." She explained.

"Then how did you end up on top of him?" Panthro asked through gritted teeth. That had the lioness stumped but that's when Lion-O opened his mouth.

"I saw her falling and I tried to catch her. I was a little off balance and we fell. That's it, it was a simple little mishap." Panthro seemed to calm down at the explanation taking everything his friends said as the truth, which of course it was.

Gorlock watched the exchange from his convenient spot as the bump in the rug. The reaction from the panther was exactly what he wanted. A few more 'accidental' bump ins and he'd have the panther believing that Lion-O was taking Leanna away from him as well as cheating on his mate.

"How did you fall?" Panthro asked.

"There was a bump in the rug over there." The lioness pointed to the spot and Gorlock knew this was his cue to disappear.

"How did you slip?" Panthro turned to Lion-O for an answer.

"I had one foot on the rug and one on the metal part of the floor. With no strong footing I couldn't stand firmly." The Lord of the ThunderCats explained. So the three walked over to where Leanna claimed to have tripped to find the carpet completely flat.

"I don't see anything under the rug. Are you sure you're well enough to be walking around?" The panther shifted into concerned mode.

"I swear my foot hit something." Leanna insisted.

"Did you see anything Lion-O?" Panthro wondered.

"Only her falling, I'm afraid. Maybe the carpet was pushed up and when we fell it flattened out." The lion shrugged. It was kind of a weak answer but since no other explanation could be thought of, Panthro decided it was best to have Leanna's vision tested.

"I think Tygra or Pumyra should have a look at you." He said to the lioness. At first it seemed as though she was going to object but then she agreed. If there wasn't a bump there now, something might be wrong with her usually sharp senses. The three then split off and headed to where they needed to go.

Gorlock smirked to himself as he began to setup another small bump in between the two of the lion clan _. This is going to be easier than I thought_ , he said to himself.  _That panther got incredibly angry when he saw Leanna on top of Lion-O_. Chuckling to himself the evil shape shifter headed to his hiding place to prepare himself for the next bump in. When he returned to his place, he found a see-thru Mumm-Ra waiting for him.

"What is taking so long Gorlock?" The anger in the ever-living source of evil's voice could not be denied.

"I have started to plant the seeds of doubt oh evil one. You said I could do this however I wanted." Gorlock reminded the projection of his master.

"Yes but I thought you'd have this wrapped up already. I grow impatient and so do the Ancient Spirits of Evil. Unless you want to go back to the prison I saved you from I suggest you get a move on." Mumm-Ra told him and then vanished. The thought of being stuck in kitten form and living as a house pet for the rest of eternity was something that Gorlock definitely wanted to avoid.

"Hurry up he says, well I'll see what I can do about that."

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Meanwhile Tygra checked over Leanna finding nothing but her concussion that was wrong with her. He suggested that the lioness take it easy with the physical activity for a few more days and then allowed Panthro to escort Leanna to the guest bedchamber. The tiger figured that with the panther looking out for her, Leanna would be ok. When the two arrived at her quarters, Leanna looked to Panthro.

"Well I guess we can have that talk now." She said.

"True but first you have to explain to me where you got these." Panthro moved to the dresser in the room and opened the first drawer. He pulled out two Kamas and turned to face her.

"Those were a gift from my father. They were given to him from his father. Luckily, my grandfather never lived to see the destruction of Thundera and my father promised at his grave that his son would carry these same weapons. Well years passed and when it became apparent that my father and mother would not have a son, I received them. They are the only link to our Thunderian heritage." She explained as a sad look crossed her face.

"They are beautiful, just like their owner." He smiled and leaned over placing a gentle kiss on her lips. They both smiled and Leanna spoke up.

"I just wish I knew how to use them better. I only know enough to protect myself in a one on one fight that and I'm afraid they'll break after not being used for so long. The last time those things saw action was when my grandfather fought in the Thunder Guard."

"Well trust me as soon as you're better, I'll teach you the moves you need." Panthro promised.

"I can't stay. I have to go home when I'm better. I have a job and my parents to care for." She told him.

"You're parents can come live here with the others in the settlement. We're continuing to expand our territory over all of New Thundera. They will love it here." The panther hoped she'd agree.

"If it could mean staying with you then I could certainly try." Smiles crossed their faces and the two spent the next few hours talking and learning more about each other.


	10. Chapter 10

Leanna sat in the control room the next morning next to Panthro who was trying to raise Space Base Thirteen on the radio. He wasn't having much luck due to the inordinate amount of interference, which was odd.

"Something has to be wrong with our system. Give me a minute." He said as he gave the lioness a reassuring smile.

"No problem. I'm just glad we were able to talk last night." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before he headed for the tool kit that was in the wall storage compartment. Then he kneeled down and looked under the control panel. Panthro muttered about something and then Leanna heard him let out a sigh.

"What's going on down there?" She asked. "It appears that someone has been slacking on their dusting. There are some nasty cobwebs and stuff down here." The panther told her.

"You aren't afraid of some harmless dust spiders are you?" Leanna teased. Panthro's response was to kick the chair she sat in which caused it to spin around a few times.

"Someone is a little touchy." She smirked. The panther just shook his head and cleaned the dust and cobwebs away to find a loose wire. He quickly fixed it and returned to his seat.

"Let's try this again." Panthro smiled and this time patched the call to the base. There was no trouble now and he was able to reach the person at the controls.

"This is Cat's Lair on New Thundera calling Space Base Thirteen, come in please."

"Space Base Thirteen, Corporal Johnson here. Go ahead Cat's Lair." The voice came back.

"Panthro of the ThunderCats responding. Do you have visual capabilities?"

"Yes, switching now." The Corporal responded and both sides pulled up the video screen.

"How can I assist you sir, ma'am?" Johnson asked.

"We're looking to speak to Rohon and Sahara of the lion clan." Panthro requested.

"No problem, I'll patch you through. Give it a minute to take, some of the connections in their neck of the woods are slightly outdated." The Corporal explained.

"Thank you very much." The panther nodded and the call was passed to the lion's home.

"So how do you think they'll take you asking them to move?" He asked the lioness beside him.

"I don't know but we'll have to see." Leanna gave him a smile as her parents came on the line.

Much later when Panthro's shift was over, Lion-O walked into the room. He had taken the later shift so he could spend some time with Cheetara and the cubs but first he wanted to catch up with the panther.

"So I see you have that same smile on your face as you did earlier." The lion smirked.

"I never seen him smile like that, it was making me nervous." Ben-Gali chuckled as he turned to face his friends from his seat at the control panel.

"What's wrong with smiling?" Panthro gave the white tiger a look.

"Nothing, just promise you'll not beat me up is all. Pumyra will need help raising our new cub and I don't wanna be in a body cast." The blacksmith tried to make up for his joke but still found it hard to stifle a few chuckles.

"Come on, old friend. Let's have a talk before I'm late to meet up with Cheetara." Lion-O said as the two left Ben-Gali to his work.

"Well I take the conversation with Leanna's parents went well." The Lord of the ThunderCats started as they walked down the hallway toward the kitchen.

"It sure did. They told us that they are glad she is safe and that they will join her here on New Thundera as soon as they can. The next transport here is due in a few months. We also called the shipping company Lea works for and they agreed to release her from her job with no hard feelings provided that they get to keep her last paycheck." Panthro told him.

"Sounds pretty decent of them actually but then again the shipping industry is very competitive and I'm sure someone will fill her spot pretty quickly. I'm glad that everything has worked out for you two. Now I wanted to ask you something." Lion-O said as he stopped just short of their destination. The panther nodded and the lion continued.

"I know we haven't known her for very long but what do you think of Leanna becoming a ThunderCat?"

"That would be fantastic!" Panthro replied practically as giddy as a schoolboy. Lion-O smiled, not remembering the last time he'd seen his friend so ecstatic. Leanna was good for him and the Lord of the ThunderCats was only happy to help his friend out.

"Of course she'd have to get training and show everyone what makes her worthy of the title but I'm sure that learning from the master will give her an edge." The lion winked as he saw a look in the panther's eye that made him wonder if he was about to get a hug. Luckily all Panthro did was extend his hand.

"Thank you." He said.

"You're quite welcome but promise me you won't mention it to her until you feel she is ready to going through the test." Lion-O told him.

"Of course and thank you again." Panthro continued to smile as the lion placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Well I've got to be off before the wife gets mad at me for being late." The Lord of the ThunderCats said and with that the two friends parted. Little did they know that the plant in the hallway had overheard their entire conversation. Gorlock chuckled to himself and then transformed into a fly and headed for his hideout.  _Ruining three lives for the price of one, I love it_ , he thought to himself.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slightly higher T rating for this chapter.

While the good inhabitants of Cat's Lair slept, Lion-O kept an eye on the controls. He had spent time with his family before taking his turn in the control room. After putting the cubs to bed, he and Cheetara had spent some time together. When the cheetah fell asleep, he had kissed her on the forehead and headed down to the kitchen. There he found Leanna with a bottle of something called 'tequila'. She said she'd bought it from some humans at the Space Base and figured it would help her sleep. He had held back the desire to make a dirty comment about Panthro helping her with that and he watched her throw down some shots of the liquid. Unfortunately 'some' turned out to be half the bottle. The lioness seemed to handle it pretty well and Lion-O shook his head as he finished a couple cups of coffee. Now he sat at the control board with a large stomachache.

"What is wrong with me?" The Lord of the ThunderCats asked no one in particular. It wasn't long before his stomach decided the best way to deal with the problem was to bring whatever it was back up. He rushed from the room and headed for the nearest bathroom.

On the other side of the Lair, Leanna was getting ready for bed. Regrettably, the tequila was starting to affect her and she stumbled to the dresser that held some pajamas she'd borrowed from Cheetara and Pumyra. The door to her room opened and in walked a familiar face.

"Somebody had too much to drink." The lion said.

"That'sssss not twue." Leanna protested, her speech slurred. Lion-O shook his head and asked,

"Why don't I help you out of those clothes and into some pajamas?" The lioness put up no protest as the Lord of the ThunderCats helped her remove her clothes. The only problem was he had no intention of helping her put any clothes back on. Now stark naked, Leanna seemed to take notice of her surroundings and the fact that his lips were on hers. At first, her body responded by kissing him back but when it didn't taste like Panthro, her mind screamed to stop. She pushed away from the forward lion and tried to get him to release his grip by digging her nails into his hand. Lion-O growled in pain and brought his mouth down over her shoulder and bit down. Leanna let out a roar, which caused the cats in the surrounding rooms to wake from their slumber. Knowing he'd get caught, the Lord of the ThunderCats let go of his captive and took off. The next person to enter the room was Panthro followed by Pumyra, Ben-Gali, and Cheetara. They saw Leanna naked and bleeding and the puma promised to be right back with a first aid kit.

"What happened?" The panther asked, as he was the first one to reach her side. The lioness's response was to back away from him.

"Leanna?" As he got closer the more she backed away from him.

"You're bleeding let me take a look, please?" The last sentence got to her and made her realize that Panthro wasn't going to hurt her. Giving a nod, Leanna allowed the panther to get close enough to look at the deep bite mark on her shoulder. Seeing that it might require stitches, he got nervous.

"Where is Pumyra?" He asked in a worried tone.

"Right here." The puma answered as she entered the room. Luckily the medical woman kept a first aid in her and Ben-Gali's room. Pumyra got down next to Leanna and started to clean the bite mark.

"Who did this to you?" Panthro wanted to know. The answer that would come from the lips of lioness would shock everyone.

"Lion-O." She replied.


	12. Chapter 12

Without waiting for any type of explanation or reasoning, the fuming panther left the room as fast as he could. Lion-O had another thing coming if he thought that as Lord of the ThunderCats he could do what he wanted. Cheetara was about to go after him as Tygra entered the room. Now sure that Pumyra would be able to handle the situation without her help, the cheetah took off, knowing exactly where Panthro was headed.

The irate cat arrived in the control room to find it empty but that's when he heard the sound of someone retching. He left the room intent on finding the lion when Cheetara arrived.

"Panthro, stop! Before you do something you regret." She hoped she'd gotten through to him but no such luck as an unsuspecting Lion-O walked out of the bathroom. The lion received a punch in the face that knocked him to the ground and that's when Cheetara grabbed her bo-staff, extended it, and smacked Panthro upside the head.

"You just assaulted my husband. One more step and I bury this staff in your skull." The tone in her voice assured the panther that she wasn't joking around so instead he lashed out verbally.

"How could you do that? Just because you're the Lord of the ThunderCats you think you can do whatever you want well you're wrong. If you so much as get within five hundred feet of her, I'll kill you." With that Panthro turned and left a bewildered lion and his wife.

"What is he talking about? I spent the past twenty minutes in the bathroom throwing up." Lion-O stood up and looked at Cheetara. The look that was on her face was one he couldn't describe.

"What is it?" He asked, as he got closer to her.

"Leanna was attacked. She said you did it." She responded. A look of disbelief crossed the Lord of the ThunderCats' face.

"I would never do that. I told you I spent the past twenty minutes in the bathroom. Even if I hadn't I would never do something that would jeopardize everything I have, especially you, Sahara, and Leo." Lion-O said.

"I believe you but convincing Panthro and Leanna won't be so easy." Cheetara wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head on his chest. He put his arms around her and gave her a loving squeeze.

"We'd better go see if the others need help." Lion-O said when they parted a minute later.

"I'll go. You stay in the control room. Let me speak to them and see if they got a full story out of Leanna." The cheetah told him. He nodded and watched the love of his life walk away.

Down in the sick bay, Pumyra and Tygra finished tending to the wounded lioness. Luckily, no stitches were needed and they managed to grab some clothes so she wouldn't be naked. Panthro had been told to stay away until they had finished and he hadn't been happy about that. Ben-Gali was charged with the task of trying to calm the panther down to which he'd said 'you have to be freaking kidding me'. Still the brave white tiger did as he had been asked and had taken Panthro to the kitchen to get some coffee or at least something that would calm him down. As Cheetara entered the room, she got a look from Pumyra, who indicated they should talk outside.

Out in the hallway, the puma turned to her friend and tried to explain the situation, as she understood it.

"I cleaned the bite mark on Leanna's shoulder and tried to gauge the size of it." Silence followed that statement, as she was unsure of how to continue.

"What did you find?" The cheetah wanted to know.

"I believe that it matches the mouth size of a fully grown lion." Pumyra's sentence hung in the air.

"No, it can't. I refuse to believe my husband is a cheating attempted rapist." Cheetara shook her head.

"It's not a conclusive match, I'd have to make a mold and try to match it." The puma tried to calm her down.

"When Panthro found Lion-O, he was coming out of the bathroom after throwing up. He said he'd been in there the past twenty minutes and I believe him." Her friend said.

"Ok well we can prove that by looking at the security tapes. I'm sure that Ben-Gali could go through them and see if his story checks." Pumyra told her reassuringly. Tygra's exit from the infirmary interrupted their conversation.

"Leanna refuses to talk about what happened. She only tells me that he kissed her and then bit her. I'm willing to bet that that is as far as things got considering we all heard the roar." He explained.

"Very good point. So what's the next step?" Pumyra wanted to know.

"I should take temporary command of the ThunderCats until the issue can be resolved. In the meantime, Lion-O is confined to quarters. Where is he anyway?" The orange tiger asked.

"He's in the control room on duty." Cheetara answered.

"Good. I'll head down there, inform him of my decision, and get his side of the story. Pumyra, we'll need pictures of the inside of his mouth and we'll need to look at the security tapes. Have Ben-Gali bring Panthro back up here so that he can take care of Leanna and we'll have your husband handle the videotapes. Cheetara, I suggest you tend to your cubs. They don't ever need to know about this especially if it turns out to not be true." That being said, Tygra left the two women.


	13. Chapter 13

Ben-Gali paced about the conference room waiting for Tygra to get there. He had a meeting with his brother tiger and what he had to say was going to have a huge impact on the way things were. After a few more minutes of pacing the architect walked into the room. He locked the door and then sat down at the table.

"Please tell me you have good news." Tygra said.

"I wish." Ben-Gali replied as he took a seat next to his comrade. The orange tiger closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"I printed some stills for you to see." The blacksmith continued as he pulled the photos out of the folder he held. Tygra took them and flipped through them.

"This makes no sense." He said.

"That's what I thought. I know that all the cameras were working before Lion-O went on shift but when I took a look at the cameras I got nothing but snow from the one that views the hallway near the control room. I have no image of Lion-O ever leaving the control room but I do have images of him entering and leaving Leanna's room." Ben-Gali shook his head.

"Let's say for hypothetical purposes that he shut off the camera in front of the control room. Why would he leave on the other cameras that he knew were there? That and when Leanna reported the crime, he knows that we would look at the tapes first thing, so if they had been shut off we'd suspect something." The orange tiger said.

"Exactly. There is no way to cover his tracks so why would he even try? I just don't see him being able to cheat on Cheetara or hurting Leanna either. So what's next?" The blacksmith wondered.

"Well I'm afraid that my news isn't any better. Pumyra looked at Lion-O's mouth and took a photo and a mold to match it to the photos of the bite mark on Leanna and it's a conclusive match." Tygra told him.

"So the bite mark matches and we have no way to confirm his story of being in the bathroom except for the fact that Panthro punched him as he exited the room. The worst of it is the photos prove that he was in Leanna's room." Ben-Gali heaved a sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"The next step is to hold a counsel meeting to decide Lion-O's fate. After which I will have to inform him of our decision." The orange tiger explained.

"Good luck getting an unbiased vote out of that. I can tell you right now Cheetara, Snarf, Pumyra, and I will be very hard pressed to believe he did it. It's not that we don't believe Leanna but we just don't see Lion-O being capable of something like that. Panthro won't give you a good vote either. That leaves the Kittens, Snarfer, and you. An even number makes voting very difficult that and I doubt that anyone will actually want to convict the Lord of the ThunderCats." Ben-Gali pointed out.

"So what should we do? If I take this public and have a jury of Thunderians judge him that will ruin Lion-O if it turns out to be untrue. However if I handle this internally and the news leaks then it will look like we're trying to hide something, especially after Lion-O is dethroned." Tygra put his head in his hands, his head hurt.

"I wish Lynx-O was here, he'd know what to do." The white tiger sighed.

"He certainly would. Well I think the next thing we should do is hold a meeting. Lay the evidence out so that Lion-O understands the charges and the evidence we have and then hold a vote of those who believe they can be unbiased." The architect nodded firmly.

"And what if no one thinks they can do it?" Ben-Gali wanted to know.

"Then I have a big decision to make." Tygra half-smiled and stood up.

"Have Pumyra gather everything and we'll hold the meeting in here in about twenty minutes." He continued. The blacksmith nodded and left the room to find his wife.

It wasn't long before the group gathered inside the counsel room. Panthro held onto Leanna and led her to a seat as the others gathered. The last ones into the room were Lion-O and Cheetara. She refused to believe what she had been told and stood by her mate. Tygra watched as the lion passed by Leanna. He was surprised that the lioness didn't try to get away from him or even turn to Panthro for emotional support. The thoughts left him as he addressed the group.

"We all know why we're gathered here. Leanna charges that Lion-O assaulted her and with the evidence collected it is time for everyone to know the case before us." The orange tiger then proceeded to show all the evidence to everyone and once that had sunk in he turned to his comrades.

"First, Lion-O do you understand the charges and do you understand that if found guilty that you will be stripped of your title and rank and will no longer be a ThunderCat?" Tygra asked.

"I do." The Lord of the ThunderCats answered.

"Second, I now ask of those present, who believes they could be completely unbiased when weighing the evidence?" Not much to his surprise, no one in the room raised their hands.

"Then the next course for us is to take this to the Thunderian court system and have Lion-O judges by a group of his Thunderian peers. Before we adjourn, Leanna would you like to say anything?" Tygra wondered. The lioness nodded and shakily rose from her seat. She walked over to the lion and placed her hands on his massive arms. Everyone in the room was shocked by this and waited with bated breath to see what would happen next. The lioness looked into Lion-O's sad eyes and saw what she was looking for. She turned to the group and said,

"He didn't do it. These are not the eyes of the cat who attacked me." Silence filled the room and no one noticed the fly on the wall fly from the spot on the wall into the air duct.


	14. Chapter 14

The council room was silent for a few minutes before Panthro finally managed to get a sentence out.

"What are you talking about Lea?"

"The eyes I saw were brown and full of hatred. Lion-O's are light reddish-orange and definitely not full of hatred." The lioness explained.

"But you said…" Tygra started.

"I know what I said but I have no explanation for what I see." Leanna told the group. Panthro lifted himself out of his seat and came over to the lioness. He put his hands on her shoulders and she turned to look at him, a confused expression across her face. The panther whispered something in her ear as she buried her face into his chest. Ben-Gali leaned over to his mate, kept his tone low and asked,

"What now?" Pumyra just shrugged, unsure of what the next call should be and glad she wasn't the one that had to make it.

"Panthro, you can take Lea to her room. Lion-O, Cheetara stay here. Everyone else go back on duty." Tygra said. With that the temporary Lord of the ThunderCats order was acted upon and the group dispersed. The orange tiger offered the couple seats and they sat down, he noticed that Cheetara's hand had not left her mate's at all since they entered the room.

"I'm afraid that despite Lea's uncertainty a few minutes ago there is still a very strong case against you Lion-O." Tygra explained.

"So does that mean the case will proceed?" The lion wanted to know.

"I'm afraid so unless Lea drops the charges out right." Tygra heaved a sigh. Cheetara squeezed Lion-O's hand.

"I stand behind my husband one hundred percent. Is there something I can do to help him?" She asked.

"Continue to do what you're doing and possibly testify on his behalf at trial. If he is convicted I'm afraid he won't be allowed back into Cat's Lair." The tiger said.

"Then our family will move out." Cheetara didn't hesitate to answer. Lion-O squeezed her shoulder and shook his head.

"You will do no such thing. Stay here and continue to be a ThunderCat, do not ruin your life because of this." He told her.

"And have Sahara and Leo grow up without their father? I think not. They are more important to both of us than the privilege of being ThunderCats." The cheetah remained strong.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, if we even get to it. In the meantime we should prepare for trial. I will file notice in the morning after talking to Lea again. Then we'll have to find you some legal council." Tygra reassured both of them.

"No matter what happens my career will be over. If I am convicted, the court will strip me of my title and I will be forced to leave. If I'm not the public's trust in me will be destroyed along with the image of the ThunderCats as a whole. I'm sorry that is happening." Lion-O sighed and looked down at the table.

"I'm sorry too. You do have an option but I know that you won't like it." The orange tiger said.

"What is it?" Both Lion-O and Cheetara asked at once.

"You could resign. As part of your resignation, something agreeable could be worked out between you and Leanna." Tygra answered.

"But isn't that admitting that he did it?" The cheetah wondered.

"Yes and he'd still have to explain to Thundera why he was stepping down. The line of lion kings would end because Leo is not of age to become King. I would take over and choose my successor." The tiger explained.

"See me in the morning before you file notice." Lion-O said. With that the lion stood and Cheetara followed, the two left the room and headed for theirs. Tygra sat in his seat, shook his head and then retreated to the library to do some research.

Gorlock stood in his hiding place preparing himself for battle. Should the ThunderCats not do as he wanted; he still needed to bring Mumm-Ra Lion-O's head on a stick. He pulled his sword from the sheath on his back. The curved blade was sharp enough to slice through metal as if it was a hot knife through butter. Removing the lion's head would be all too easy.


	15. Chapter 15

Lion-O paced around the bedchamber, trying to make his decision. He and Cheetara had spent most of the night talking and yet both were unable to come up with which option they preferred. Soon the sun's rays would lighten the far horizon and warm Cat's Lair, bringing Tygra to the room to tell them what was going to happen.

"Please stop pacing. It's not helping." Cheetara spoke up.

"I'm sorry, I just can't sit still while I'm accused of something I did not do." The lion stopped pacing and sat himself down on the bed next to his wife.

"No matter what Tygra says when he comes in, we're in this together." She told him as she leaned into his shoulder. He gave a nod and kissed the top of her head. A knock on the door brought them from their pleasant moment.

"Enter." Lion-O called. The door opened revealing their expected arrival, however the look on his face didn't instill much comfort.

"I'm sorry but Leanna still wants to press charges. Despite what happened yesterday in the council room, I could not convince her otherwise." Tygra informed them.

"So then I will do the only thing that will not tarnish the name of the ThunderCats. I will resign." The lion said.

"Very well, I will alert the others and set up the press conference for later this afternoon." The new Lord of the ThunderCats responded. Everything seemed to be in order but that's when the tiger moved his hand behind his head and pulled out a sword.

"You do understand I will still have to kill you." Tygra's voice changed and he brought the sharp weapon down towards the two ThunderCats. Lion-O acted quickly and pushed Cheetara away from him as the blade came down on the bed and sliced right through it. The lion reached for his own sword only to realize that he no longer had it in his possession.

"Nice try cub but I have only begun." Again the fake Tygra brought his sword up and swiped it at Lion-O. Once again he was able to dodge the attack but he knew that he couldn't keep this up long. The bedchamber was small and he was running out of room.

"Lion-O!" Cheetara threw her bo-staff to her mate so he would at least have something to defend himself with. Grabbing the special pole, he shouted back to her.

"Get the others!" The cheetah gave a quick nod and before the hired assassin could stop her she was gone.

"It won't matter, even if she gets them, you'll be dead." The attacker smirked and tried to skewer the lion.

"Who sent you or should I not even bother to guess?" Lion-O dodged the move and used the bo-staff to smack the fake tiger upside the head.

"Let's just say my boss doesn't like you very much." "Tygra" told him and made another slashing motion. This time he struck pay dirt as blood began to flow from the lion's arm. Luckily Lion-O had been on the move otherwise his arm would be missing from the elbow down.

"I bet that hurt but not as much as when I remove your head from your shoulders." The assassin laughed before catching Cheetara's bo-staff in his gut.

"I wouldn't count me out just yet." Lion-O said.

"Especially since he has back up." The real Tygra answered as he entered the bedchamber followed by Cheetara, Ben-Gali, Pumyra, and Panthro.

"Ah so I get to fight the whole crew, well all the more for me to kill." Gorlock smirked as he shape shifted into his normal form.

"Holy…" Ben-Gali murmured before looking to his pregnant wife. She shook her head and grabbed her sling. She wasn't about to back down. The white tiger nodded and pulled out his Hammer of Thundera. The others followed suit pulling out their weapons.

"You really think that those puny things can stop me?" Gorlock questioned.

"Yes, they've never failed us before, especially this one." Tygra pulled the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield and shouted,

"Catch!" Lion-O grabbed the most powerful ThunderCat weapon. The Eye of Thundera roared as if it was thankful to be back in its master's hand.

"HO!" The Sword extended to its full length and let out a blast of blue energy, which hit Gorlock in the chest. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to have much effect on the seven-foot tall monster.

"That tickled." Mumm-Ra's slave laughed his evil laugh.

"Then you'll enjoy this." Panthro charged at the creature, his nun-chucks swirling and thoughts of Leanna racing through his head. He would uphold the lioness' honor at any cost.


	16. Chapter 16

The panther struck with a ferocity that no one had ever seen before. All the anger had been building up inside him and no way was this creature going to get away with what he'd done. Well-placed punches and kicks soon had Gorlock up against the far wall of Lion-O and Cheetara's bedchamber without being able to lift the dangerous weapon he carried. Mumm-Ra's slave tried to stave off the beating but it appeared to do very little to the irate ThunderCat. Finally Tygra, Ben-Gali, Cheetara, and Pumyra pulled the panther off his quarry. Panthro's knuckles were bruised and bloody and his feet throbbed with the possibility of having some broken toes but he didn't care. All that mattered was Lea.

Lion-O moved in and pointed the tip of the Sword of Omens at Gorlock's throat. The huge creature was having difficulty breathing as the lion guessed that some of the panther's punches had broken ribs and driven parts into his lungs.

"Yield creature before I let Panthro finish what he started." The Lord of the ThunderCats said.

"Gorlock… does… not… yield. I… will… complete… my… mission." Before anyone could react, he disappeared.

"What the… Where in Thundera did he go?" Lion-O wondered looking around. The others searched the room but found it empty. No one noticed the tick that had buried itself into the carpet. The incredibly small creature would hide there until it was safe.

"Well get Panthro down to the sick bay and check him out." Lion-O said to Pumyra and Tygra. They nodded and helped the panther down to the medical facilities. He started to fight them until he say Lea running down the hallway. She'd heard the commotion but since she wasn't a ThunderCat yet Panthro had told her to stay put.

"That is the last time I listen to you." She told him as they continued to move down the hall.

"It's nothing just a scratch and a couple bruises." The panther protested.

"And maybe some broken toes." Tygra chimed in while Pumyra tried to contain the grin that was rapidly spreading across her face. Panthro just gave him a look as they rounded the corner and went into the sick bay.

Meanwhile Lion-O and Cheetara assessed the damage to their bedchamber. The bed was unusable and there was blood all over. It was then that the cheetah noticed that some of the blood was Lion-O's. Quickly she grabbed some of the ripped sheets and tore off a piece.

"Let me see your arm." She instructed and Lion-O gave a slight smile as he did as he was told. As fast as she could Cheetara wrapped the makeshift bandage around the wound, which would probably need stitches.

"Well I guess we now know why Mumm-Ra has been so quiet." He smiled as his mate finished her task.

"Yes I guess we do and we know that this Gorlock will stop at nothing. Besides being a shape shifter he seems to have big plans for you." There was some nervousness in the cheetah's voice as she looked to her husband.

"As always I have you and the others to help me defeat our enemy and as always I know we'll win the day. We'd better check on the cubs and then pull everyone into the council room." Lion-O gave her a reassuring smile and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Once again you've made me feel better. If I'm not careful you'll think I've gone soft." Cheetara smiled.

"Just because you care doesn't make you soft. You're one of the strongest cats I know and you'll always be the best ThunderCat in my book." The Lord of the ThunderCats told her.

"All right now you're just getting mushy. I'll go check on Sahara and Leo while you round up the troops." Cheetara gave the lion's butt a squeeze and was out the door in a flash. Lion-O smiled and headed out the same door and headed for the sick bay. When the room was empty, Gorlock appeared from his hiding place in the carpet. The quick-healing shape shifter could now breathe better but the bruises and scabs would still linger for a few more hours.

"I may have failed in this attempt but I will find a way ThunderCats, you can count on it." He said to himself before shape shifting into a fly and heading for the ductwork. The evil creature would listen in on their conversation and then plan his next course of action.

The ThunderCats gathered in the council room to discuss what had occurred and how it changed what had been going on. It turned out that once Tygra and Pumyra cleaned Panthro up he just had some cuts and deep bruises which was good because it wouldn't sideline the panther long.

"We now know who the real threat is and we need to figure out how to deal with him. First, Lion-O is reinstated as Lord of the ThunderCats. Second, the charges against him will never be brought to court, as the real perpetrator is not even Thunderian. He calls himself Gorlock and we believe he is working for Mumm-Ra." Tygra announced to the group.

"He is a shape shifter and has shown that he will choose any form from myself to Tygra and then to be something so small that he seems to disappear." Lion-O filled some more details in.

"So what do we do?" WilyKat wanted to know.

"The first thing we do is run an internal heat scan of the Lair. Whatever isn't us, we have to take care of." Panthro spoke up.

"And by take care of you mean…" Ben-Gali asked, not sure what exactly the panther was trying to get at.

"Kill it." Came the panther's deadpanned answer.


	17. Chapter 17

Needless to say that answer didn't sit well with the group. Besides being against the Code of Thundera, there would be no way to be sure what they killed was actually their target. Massive paranoia could follow and that was a road no one wanted to travel down.

"Whoa, whoa, let's calm down." Tygra said. From his hiding place in the ductwork, Gorlock smirked.  _The ThunderCats are soft and it will cost them_ , he said to himself.

"I agree with Tygra. Let's take a step back and calm down. The heat scan of the Lair is a good idea but we need something to ensure that Gorlock hasn't already heard our conversation." Lion-O spoke up.

"He's got a point but how are we going to keep our plan from this shape shifter?" Ben-Gali asked. Silence filled the room and Gorlock wondered if they could beat him at his own game. That's when Cheetara leaned over to her husband and whispered into his ear. He listened intently and Gorlock wished he could shape shift but the size of the ductwork prevented him from doing so.

"Follow me." Lion-O said. Everyone lifted themselves from their chairs and followed their leader. Gorlock tried to follow but the council room door shut before he could get out. His only other option was back into the ductwork.

Out in the hallway, everyone looked at the lion waiting for an explanation. He had stopped in his tracks and no one quite understood how standing out in the corridor was going to help the situation.

"Panthro is to come with me to the control room, everyone else return to duty. I will signal when you are needed." Lion-O kept his voice low and the ThunderCats nodded. The group dispersed leaving the lion, the panther, the lioness, and the cheetah. Lion-O nudged Panthro and started down the hall with Cheetara. The panther nodded and turned to Lea.

"I know this is hard but please be patient. Can you wait in my room until I come get you?" He asked.

"That's what you said last time and look what happened. I have to keep my eyes on you panther." Leanna's stubborn streak was showing. Panthro smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

"I know you want to get this guy but let me take care of it. You mean too much to me and I don't want to see you get hurt." He whispered in her ear. Pulling away from her, he saw her smile and she nodded. He was a ThunderCat and as such he a had duty to perform. She would not get in his way.

"All right but if I have to come down to the sick bay again, we're going to have a serious talk." Lea smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek before leaving him. Panthro watched her hips sway as she walked and he so badly wanted to follow her to his room and not come out until next week but there was work to be done. Quickly he made his way down to the control room.

By the time Gorlock found the duct that led him out into the hallway the group had long dispersed. Cursing his bad luck, he flew around the long winding corridors trying to find his quarry. Fortunately he didn't find what he was looking for, mostly because his size prevented him from triggering the automatic doors. However, if he shape shifted and someone came down the hall there would be trouble. Not physically able to take on the ThunderCats for at least another hour or so, Gorlock continued his exhausting search.

In the control room, Panthro sat in the command seat and continued to run a heat scan of Cat's Lair. Cheetara had explained her plan to him and he agreed to try it. Lion-O had reassured him that this was the best way to do things if they hoped to defeat their enemy.

"I have some odd heat signatures showing up the hallway. They bounce up and down the hallway as if whatever it was wanted to get in somewhere but couldn't." The panther told his friends.

"What size are they?" Lion-O asked.

"Small, probably not much bigger than a house fly." Panthro told him.

"So it isn't usual movement for a fly?" Cheetara wondered.

"I'm no expert but no." The panther answered.

"Then I think it's time to invite him in." Lion-O said. With a nod, the martial arts master rose from his chair and walked to the doorway. The large automatic door slid back and Panthro stood in the middle of the entry to prevent the door from closing.

"That Gorlock is pretty stupid. Thinks he can get in a fight with me and walk away. The next time I see him, I'll teach him the meaning of pain." Mumm-Ra's salve heard the insult and wanted nothing more than to show the panther how wrong he was but he knew that fighting now would be dangerous.

"Oh I think you can use stronger language than that old friend." Lion-O emerged from the control room to stand behind the panther.

"Like brainless, numbnut, or my personal favorite dumb shit?" Panthro wondered.

"Now you're talking." The Lord of the ThunderCats smiled. This was enough to anger Gorlock. He shifted into his original form and appeared before the two ThunderCats.

"Let us see who the idiots really are." The dog-like creature snarled.


	18. Chapter 18

Gorlock pulled his weapon from its sheath and pointed it at the panther. The rage in his eyes told Panthro that he'd struck a nerve.

"Well well, so you decided to grace us with your presence. I feel honored." The martial arts master's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You die first and then I will take what my master wants." Gorlock said.

"After you squirt." Panthro challenged. Blind with hatred and anger the shape shifter lashed out with his incredibly sharp weapon. Dodging the first attack, the panther smirked.

"You'll have to do better than that." Gorlock's answer was to swing the sword at Panthro again. This time the strike got him nothing but a smack in the gut with nun-chucks.

"Me one, numbnut zero." Panthro seemed to be enjoying this a little too much and that's when Lion-O stepped in.

"I believe your fight is with me." He said. The Sword of Omens growled as it extended to its full length.

"Can't fight without your friends I see. Nothing but a wimp." Gorlock's words stung Lion-O's pride but the young Lord had learned a thing or two since he was first put in charge. So instead of dignifying the creature's remark verbally, the Lord of the ThunderCats used his weapon.

"HO!" A blast of blue energy shot from the special weapon's tip and struck Gorlock between the eyes. The blast knocked the shape shifter back into the wall on the other side of the hallway. Despite the shot, Gorlock steadied himself on his feet.

"Don't make me destroy you." Lion-O offered his final warning. Mumm-Ra's slave just shook it off and charged at the ThunderCats. The lion parried the thrust he received from Gorlock's weapon and within moments the two were engaged in a sword match. Lion-O was unable to call for help but at the moment he didn't need it. He fought off his attacker with ease. It was obvious the last energy blast had damaged the evil being but he refused to accept it. Gorlock's attempts to kill the Lord of the ThunderCats were becoming more and more uncoordinated. Finally with the Claw Shield on his right fist, Lion-O slammed the power of his mighty arm into the shape shifter's face. Gorlock flew and hit the wall where he crumpled into a pile. Quickly, the three surrounded him, making sure he could not escape.

"I guess he's down for the count." Panthro said.

"So it would seem. Cheetara sound the general alarm." Lion-O gave his mate a half-smile and within seconds the alarm sounded.

"All set." She nodded already back at his side. Footsteps could be heard in the corridor as the other ThunderCats approached, answering the call to arms. The three turned to see their friends and it was the opportunity that Gorlock needed.

"Destroy this!" He shouted. With every last ounce of strength he had left, the shape shifter thrust his weapon in the direction of Lion-O's midsection.

"Look out!" Panthro yelled as he pushed the lion out of the way. Gorlock's sword found a very different target as the panther fell to the floor. Blood oozed from the wound in his midsection, as the sword went through his front and came out his back.

"Long live Mumm-Ra!" The shape shifter cried out. Lion-O silenced him with a punch that made the distinct noise of bones being crushed. Then they turned to their injured comrade as the others arrived on the scene. The last thing the master mechanic remembered was hearing someone scream.


	19. Chapter 19

The ThunderCats took immediate action to save Panthro. His wound was worse than the one they had all seen Lynx-O receive and the thought of what had happened to the lynx was still fresh in their memories. Tygra and Pumyra took over commanding the other to fetch what they needed. Before moving the panther they would have to stabilize him.

"Get the Extractor and hurry. When I remove the sword from Panthro, he'll start bleeding even more. The faster we get it on, the less the chance of him losing more blood." Tygra instructed. In a flash, Cheetara was gone and within seconds she was back.

"Lay him down as flat as possible." Pumyra said. Lion-O and Ben-Gali did as they were told.

"Ok, I'm going to pull the sword out on the count of three. Have the Extractor ready." The orange tiger told them.

"One, two, three!" The architect and medical man pulled the massive sharp weapon out of Panthro and quickly Pumyra, Ben-Gali, and Lion-O got the Extractor into place and turned it on.

"We need a stretcher and a neck brace to move him down to the sick bay." This time it was the Kittens who fetched the needed equipment.

"We'll have to lift him slowly and carefully. Again on three." The puma said after putting the neck brace on to prevent the panther's head from being tossed about. Neither she nor Tygra had gotten a good look at the wound in Panthro's back but if there was spinal cord damage, they couldn't take the chance of making it worse.

"One, two, three!" Swift, smooth movements moved the panther onto the stretcher and then moved the stretcher down to the sick bay.

Meanwhile, the scream had come from Leanna who had seen what Gorlock had done to the cat she couldn't see living without. Snarf tried to calm her down while the others did what they had to do. Emotions could be used later but now they would hold no purpose. The two watched as they carried Panthro away and immediately the lioness stood up. She needed to be beside the cat she loved.

Leanna got to the sick bay doors and was stopped by Cheetara. The cheetah could see the fear in her friend's eyes and wished she could do more than just try to comfort her. The infernal racket of the general alarm still hadn't been shut off and it was hard to keep their tones quiet so Cheetara sent the twins to shut the siren off, leaving her alone to speak to Leanna.

"How bad is it?" The lioness asked once the alarm had been quieted.

"He's in good hands. Tygra and Pumyra know how to handle this type of situation." Cheetara danced around the question. The truth was she didn't know exactly how bad it was but Lynx-O kept popping up in her head. That was something that Lea didn't need to know and it was best if they stayed positive.

"You didn't answer my question." Leanna sat bluntly. The cheetah let out a sigh and shook her head.

"I don't know. It depends on what the Extractor can heal and what it can't." The spotted cat answered. At that moment, Lion-O stepped out of the sick bay, with an odd expression on his face. This concerned Cheetara and she pulled him aside.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"They're trying their hardest to save him. He's not as old as Lynx-O, so that's one good thing but he lost a lot of blood and the wound is bigger." The lion shook his head and let out a sigh.

"We have to get Gorlock secured before we do anything else. Come on." The Lord of the ThunderCats continued. Quickly, he and Cheetara went back down the hallway.


	20. Chapter 20

Lion-O and Cheetara found their quarry still lying up against the wall. That last punch by the Lord of the ThunderCats had worked quite well as a sedative. The cheetah bent down to check Gorlock's vitals to make sure he was still alive.

"He's still breathing but his pulse isn't as strong as it should be." She said.

"Well he did attack us not long after he sustained those from our first encounter." Lion-O shrugged.

"So what do we do with him? How do you keep a shape shifter from shape shifting?" Cheetara wondered.

"Let's get him down to the sick bay and we'll have Tygra and Pumyra look him over when they're done helping Panthro." The lion suggested. His mate nodded and the two picked up the large creature. Lion-O had Gorlock by the shoulders and Cheetara had him by his feet. Despite how heavy Mumm-Ra's slave was the two managed to get him down to the sick bay. When they entered the infirmary, the tiger and puma were still working on their fallen comrade. Dumping Gorlock's body on the nearest empty bed the two headed for the control room.

"We'd better call Mandora and get her over here right away." Lion-O said.

"Good idea. I'm going to stay with Lea." Cheetara told him. The lion gave a nod before placing a quick kiss on her lips. They parted and the cheetah turned back to aid her new friend.

Leanna could sense someone standing next to her but she didn't let on. Her eyes were glued to watching Tygra and Pumyra's movements through the window that allowed viewing into the infirmary.

"What exactly does this Extractor do?" She asked, hoping Cheetara's answer would help her calm down.

"It removes any foreign objects from the body and then repairs any affected organs. Right now Tygra and Pumyra are checking to make sure the bleeding has been stopped and then they will sow up the wound." Her friend explained.

"Why is it taking so long?" Lea questioned. The answer she got didn't give her a warm fuzzy.

"I don't know but Tygra and Pumyra will make sure that Panthro is ok. He's a strong cat; he'll make it." Cheetara gave her a smile and the lioness smiled slightly back. All they could do now was wait and hope.

Inside the infirmary, Tygra and Pumyra struggled to get Panthro's bleeding under control. The Extractor had closed up the wound in his back and the organs but it had missed something that continued to bleed.

"We need another pint of blood, how many do we have left?" Tygra asked Ben-Gali who quickly went to the refrigerated storage unit to grab some more of the supply.

"He's only got one left after this, then we'll have to start draining the others." The white tiger responded. Both Tygra and Pumyra cursed under their breath.

"Where the heck is that bleeder?" Pumyra continue to feel around inside Panthro's open body cavity.

"If we don't find it soon he'll need more than blood to help him through this." The orange tiger told her. Pumyra refused to listen. She'd already lost Lynx-O; she wasn't about to let Panthro go with Leanna standing out in the hallway. The puma continued to search until she found what she was looking for.

"There his pancreas. The Extractor got his stomach but missed his pancreas." She said as she quickly worked to sow up the hole.

"Understandable considering the pancreas is behind the stomach." Tygra said as he reached into help her. Within fifteen minutes, they had the wound sowed up and they moved to the large hole in his skin where Gorlock's sword entered his body. Soon they were done and they checked the machines that the panther was hooked up to.

"All right, he seems stable for now. We'll need more than just one pint of blood just in case. Call up the Thunder Guard. Have them send panthers down to donate blood. In the meantime I'll take a look at our captive." The orange tiger said as he stripped off his surgery garb. Pumyra nodded and pulled off her blood soaked clothes as well. Then she stepped out into the hallway.

"How is he?" Leanna asked at the puma's emergence.

"Stable. We stopped the bleeding and have stitched him up but he lost a lot of blood. We're calling up the Thunder Guard for donors in case he needs more." Pumyra explained.

"When can I see him?" The lioness wanted to know.

"As soon as Ben-Gali gets him cleaned up." The puma smiled. That's when they heard a commotion in the infirmary.


	21. Chapter 21

Lea was the first one through the door followed very closely by Cheetara and Pumyra. The three women were surprised to see Gorlock thrashing around trying to get Ben-Gali and Tygra off him. In a flash, Pumyra was over at the medicine cabinet looking for a sedative while Cheetara and the lioness jumped in to help the others.

"What happened?" The cheetah asked as they tried to hold the shape shifter down.

"I went to check on him and he just started moving around." Tygra explained. Gorlock's right fist went into the air catching the orange tiger in the jaw. He flew backwards onto the floor.

"Get the sedative quick!" Ben-Gali shouted to his mate. They weren't sure how much longer they could hold him down. The puma found what she was looking for and quickly reached the white tiger's side. Stabbing the needle into Gorlock's thigh, Pumyra pushed the plunger down and the liquid entered the shape shifter's blood stream through his femoral artery. In about a minute, he calmed down and the infirmary was back to normal.

"Thank Jaga." Cheetara sighed as she let go of the captive and then headed over to help Tygra up off the floor.

"He does have a mean right hook." The orange tiger smirked, rubbing his jaw. Ben-Gali stood up and gave Pumyra a hug.

"Great job babe."

"Are you ok?" The puma asked.

"I'm fine, you take a look at Tygra and I'll get back to cleaning Panthro up." Her husband assured her. At the mention of the panther's name Lea immediately went over to his side. The commotion had only distracted her for a moment. Ben-Gali smiled, as he knew how she was feeling. If anything ever happened to Pumyra, he knew he wouldn't want to leave her side.

"How about you help me?" The white tiger offered the lioness. Lea smiled and nodded. Cheetara watch the scene unfold and couldn't help smiling herself. Turning to Tygra and Pumyra she asked,

"Is he ok?"

"Yeah, he'll just have a nasty bruise." The puma shook her head.

"Figures. Just when I got rid of the old ones…" Tygra joked.

"Never a dull moment around here. I'm going to go talk to Lion-O and see what Mandora had to say." Cheetara said.

"Sounds good, we'll strap the patient down." The orange tiger promised. With a quick nod, the cheetah was out the door in a moment.

Lion-O shut off the video screen as he heard the control room doors open. He swiveled his chair around and found his wife standing there.

"I take it you weren't needed any more down there?" A slight smile crossed his face.

"Well it was a little crazy down there so I came to fill you in. Gorlock was thrashing about and managed to hit Tygra in the face but we got him sedated. They're strapping him down in case he wakes up again. Panthro is out of surgery and stable. So what did Mandora say?" She asked.

"She said to keep Gorlock sedated and when she gets here they'll load him into a special container. The only bad thing is that she won't be here for another four hours. Is Tygra ok?" The Lord of the ThunderCats wondered.

"He'll be fine, just a bruise. Four hours until Mandora gets here?" Cheetara looked slightly worried.

"We'll just have to make sure that we keep him knocked out. I'm going to have the ThunderKittens man the control room and then we can head down to the sick bay." He told her.

"All right, while you're waiting I'm going to check up on Sahara and Leo." The wife and mother said.

"Good idea. Hopefully we'll get to spend more time with them after we get rid of Gorlock." Lion-O smiled again and then watched the cheetah take off.

Ten minutes later, the Lord of the ThunderCats was heading down to the infirmary after the Kittens arrived for duty. Thoughts swirled around in his head as he tried to piece an idea together. He entered the medical center and was greeted by Ben-Gali.

"Coming to see me? I didn't know you cared." The white tiger joked. Lion-O couldn't help but chuckle and he joked back.

"Well I figured I'd better make sure you were still alive. I know how hard Pumyra works you." This time Ben-Gali chuckled.

"I heard that." The puma said as she and Tygra walked over to meet them.

"Yeah well you remember that the next time you decide to have fun with your husband. I always get an earful through my bedroom walls." This time the orange tiger was the one joking.

"Ewwww." Lion-O teased. This made everyone laugh including Lea who was sitting next to Panthro's bed.

"All right time to get serious. Mandora won't be here for almost another four hours to take Gorlock. In the meantime she says to keep him sedated. It will prevent him from shape shifting and make it easier to get him into the container she's bringing." The Lord of the ThunderCats explained.

"I'll keep an eye on him." Tygra promised. The lion nodded and continued,

"Now that that is settled, once Gorlock is gone, I'm holding a council meeting. We can have it in here if Panthro needs to be looked after."

"Sounds like a good idea. Until he wakes up, I'd like to keep an eye on him." Pumyra said.

"Ok, I want you to tell me everything." Lion-O told her.


	22. Chapter 22

Mandora arrived true to her word, exactly on schedule. She was her usual charming self and tried to refuse the ThunderCats from helping her get the seven-foot, four hundred pound Gorlock out to her motorcycle. Lion-O made a crack about her being as stubborn as Panthro, which didn't exactly help the situation. Needless to say, Gorlock was thrown into the special container that would prevent him from shape shifting during the flight to the gray penal planet. Once the Evil Chaser and her quarry reached their destination she promised to contact Cat's Lair. With the blast from the Electro-Charger's exhaust and the first of the ThunderCat's worries were gone.

"I guess some things never change." Lion-O gave a slight smile as he watched Mandora leave.

"What do you mean?" Cheetara asked giving him a look.

"Same old Mandora." He teased.

"Yeah glad to see she hasn't lost her wonderful personality. Come on I do believe the Lord of the ThunderCats called a council meeting." She reminded him.

"Yeah that's right. Where is he anyway?" Ben-Gali couldn't help but snicker.

"Very funny guys. Just remember that when I make the duty roster for next week." The lion assured them.

"Uh oh, sounds like someone is going to be scrubbing a lot of toilets." Cheetara giggled.

"You're coming down with me." The white tiger said.

"You forget; I'm married to him." She pointed out. Ben-Gali made a face and the three headed back into the Lair for the meeting. When they arrived in the sick bay, Panthro was sitting up in bed.

"Well look who's back." Lion-O smiled.

"You think I'd leave you here in charge?" The panther chuckled and then froze as it hurt.

"Rest up old friend you'll need it." The lion smirked. He was glad that some things never changed.

"So what's on your mind Lion-O?" Tygra asked.

"As you can guess, Gorlock was here under the command of Mumm-Ra. We need to decide our next course of action." The Lord of the ThunderCats explained.

"It does seem odd that the bag of bones didn't come to finish what his crony started." Panthro observed.

"My thoughts exactly. So either he doesn't know yet or he's planning something else." Lion-O said.

"So it's storming the castle then." Ben-Gali smiled.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Cheetara nodded.

"Then it's settled. ThunderKittens hold the fort in the control room; if we need you make sure the Thunder Guard take your positions. Pumyra, stay with Panthro. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." The lion handed out the assignments.

"I don't need a baby sitter." The panther complained.

"I was thinking more a long the lines of keeping Lea off you but that works too." Lion-O smirked.

"Ohh." There were a few choice words Panthro would have used if there hadn't been ladies present. Leanna gave both men a look but then played along.

"Oh I'm sure that Pumyra and I can find girly things to do while you're gone." The look on Panthro's face was priceless. Tygra and Ben-Gali tried to contain their laughter.

"All right, no more picking on the poor guy. Let's go get us a mummy." Cheetara said.

"ThunderCats HO!" Lion-O shouted and the group quickly dispersed.


	23. Chapter 23

The ThunderTank rumbled it's way toward Mumm-Ra's black pyramid. The desert sands gave way to the massive treads as if they were kids diving on birthday cake.

"Man I forgot how loud the Tank was." Ben-Gali shouted up over the noise.

"Yeah me too." Cheetara shouted back.

"I guess we're just used to the ThunderClaw and the HoverCat." The white tiger shrugged. The cheetah nodded.

"I want you to thank Lion-O for me in case something goes wrong." Ben-Gali said more seriously.

"For what?" Cheetara was a little confused.

"For letting Pumyra stay behind. Having another cub…" he didn't get to finish as she cut him off.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to thank him in person. Besides Lion-O knows what that's like." She winked and then pointed to the dark building in the distance. The ThunderTank quickly closed the gap between the ThunderCats and the pyramid. Tygra cut the engine and all four leapt out of the vehicle.

"Remind me to tease Panthro about the Tank and the racket it made." The orange tiger smirked.

"Trust me he'll be in the shop sooner than he should be. Now should we give Mumm-Ra the old ThunderCats welcome?" Lion-O asked.

"Sounds good to me." Cheetara said as she grabbed her bo-staff from her armband.

"Let's go kick some mummy butt." Ben-Gali joined in. He had removed his Hammer of Thundera from its holster. Lion-O nodded and the team walked over to the pyramid and opened the secret passageway.

"Seems as though Mumm-Ra forgot to upgrade his security system." The Lord of the ThunderCats smirked.

"I guess so. He'll be sorry for that." Tygra said. The trip through the twisting and turning halls was quite uneventful and that made the ThunderCats leery.

"I don't like this." Cheetara murmured as they entered the main chamber.

"Me neither. It's too easy." Her mate replied. He then signaled for the tigers to go to the left and they would stick to the right. The four made their way around until they had encircled Mumm-Ra's sarcophagus. All it took was a nod from Lion-O and they quickly forced open the ancient coffin. Much to their surprise it was empty.

"Where is he?" Ben-Gali asked.

"This makes no sense." Lion-O shook his head. Suddenly, Cheetara dropped her bo-staff and fell to her knees. Her hands flew to the side of her head as she tried to control the pain. In an instant, the Lord of the ThunderCats was next to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked. The pain did not allow her to answer and the others could see the look on her face. Then as suddenly as the attack happened it was over and she collapsed to the floor.

"Tara!" It was obvious how upset her mate was. He quickly sat down and pulled her gently onto his lap. He wrapped his big muscular arms around her. Lion-O could feel the sweat that soaked her uniform and he tried to calm her down.

"What's wrong?" He asked again. The answer he got was one he did not like.

"The cubs… they're… in trouble. Mumm-Ra…" She told him.

"We have to get back to the Lair now!" The lion told the tigers.


	24. Chapter 24

"We have an incoming bogey at one o'clock." WilyKat said.

"That can't be good. Call the Thunder Guard, everybody on high alert." Kit instructed. Her brother nodded and sounded the alarm.

Down in the sick bay, the high alert noise sounded. Pumyra looked up from her paperwork and over to the panther and lioness.

"I'm going to check it out. Make sure he stays put." She smiled slightly.

"I got him." Lea promised.

"Are you sure?" Panthro winked as the puma exited the room.

"Oh this time I'm not letting you out of my sight." The lioness vowed. Panthro smiled but she could see the concern behind his eyes. She knew he wanted to be helping the others even though he couldn't.

"What's going on?" Pumyra asked as she entered the control room.

"Mumm-Ra incoming." Kat told her.

"The others?" she wondered.

"They know and are heading back in the ThunderTank. ETA fifteen minutes." Kit explained.

"Have the Thunder Guard taken their positions?" Pumyra inquired.

"Men at turrets two, three, and five. One and four should be in position in less than two minutes." Kat informed her.

"Good. When Mumm-Ra is within range have them open fire." The puma instructed. Kat nodded and radioed the laser turrets mounted on Cat's Lair.

"What about the cubs? Are they secure?" Kit asked.

"Great Jaga! Call down to Snarf. Have him get them into the nursery if he hasn't already." Pumyra said. Kat made the call and confirmed the little ones were safe at the moment.

"Bogey within range, fire at will." Kit issued the command to the gunners. Soon the sound of blasts filled the air. The Thunder Guardsmen were doing their best but Mumm-Ra seemed to be easily avoiding and blocking the shots.

"He's still coming. What do we do?" Kat asked.

"Have them switch to missiles and have the rest prepare for hand to hand combat. Until the others get back we have to hold him off." Pumyra said as she checked her pellet capacity in her belt. Just then an explosion rocked Cat's Lair, knocking the puma down.

"What was that?" She asked.

"We've lost turret three. Fire and major damage reported." Kat answered.

"Get med and fire crews up there immediately." The puma ordered.

"Already done. Five minutes until the ThunderTank arrives." Kit told them as another explosion shook the fortress' foundation.

"We may not have that long." Pumyra said.

"That was turret one, crews are on their way." Kat informed the two.

"Tell all remaining gunners to concentrate their blasts at their target. I want them to fire their rounds at the same time. Hopefully a triple whammy will slow Mumm-Ra down." Pumyra commanded. Kat nodded and gave the order.

Up in the gun turrets the Guardsmen listened and waited until they all had a lock on the flying mummy.

"Fire!" Turret two gunmen shouted. Three missiles left their chutes at exactly the same time. There were three large explosions followed by large smoke clouds.

"Can you confirm target destruction?" Came Kit's voice over the radio.

"Negative, the smoke is too thick. Wait a minute for some clearing." Turret four gunman said. Everyone held their breath waiting for confirmation. Then a cackle of static came over the airwaves.

"Great Jaga's ghost!"

"Repeat turret five." Kat said.

"The mummy has entered the building." Came Mumm-Ra's voice over the line.


	25. Chapter 25

The ThunderTank arrived at the Lair to see smoke pouring out of the top. Quickly the four cats dismounted from the vehicle and raced up the steps toward the main entrance, weapons drawn. Lion-O was the first to the door only to find that it would not open.

"The door is jammed. Help me get it open." He said as he put the Sword back into the Claw Shield. Then using his massive hands, he began to pry the large steel door open. Cheetara helped by lodging her bo-staff into the door sides to use as leverage. Tygra and Ben-Gali worked to help the Lord of the ThunderCats with their hands. Once they got the door open, the group went through. The silence in the hallways was unnerving.

"Let's split up. Ben-Gali, Tygra, head for the control room. Cheetara and I will head for the sick bay." Lion-O said. The tigers nodded and took off looking for anything that would give them good news.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Cheetara said.

"Let us hope that we are not too late." Her mate tried to shed some positive light on the situation. The two reached the sick bay and moved into the room. Panthro's bed was empty and no one appeared to be around.

"Where are they?" The cheetah asked.

"Somewhere safe I hope." Lion-O answered. That's when they heard something fall over. The lion jerked his head to the left and Cheetara nodded. The two moved closer to the noise and found a surprise.

"What are you doing in there?" The lion smirked.

"Hiding. I figured it was safer than heading out into the hallway and getting myself killed." Lea smiled from her hiding place underneath the medicine cabinet.

"And where is Panthro?" Cheetara asked.

"Over in the stasis room. I figured it was the safest because it only locks from the outside." The lioness explained.

"Good thinking. I wouldn't want him trying to take on Mumm-Ra in his condition. Get him out of there and head for the hanger. Take the Feliner and get the troops rallied. I think we might need them." Lion-O told her.

"Will do. Have you heard from Pumyra?" She asked.

"No. You haven't either?" The cheetah wondered.

"She took off for the control room and I haven't heard from her since." Lea explained.

"Then I may have sent Tygra and Ben-Gali into the lion's den so to speak. All right let's get a move on." The Lord of the ThunderCats said. The group split up and left the sick bay. Lion-O and Cheetara headed for the control room hoping they weren't too late.

Meanwhile in the nursery, Snarf did his best to keep the cubs calm. It certainly wasn't easy with the Lair shaking and loud explosions. Although Sahara seemed to be incredibly quiet and if the furry creature had had time to think he might have been concerned. His focus was thrown to the doorway when someone began pounding on it.

"Oh that's not good." He said. The pounding increased in ferocity and sooner large hand imprints could be seen in the metal.

"Jaga help me." Was the only thing that popped into his mind as Mumm-Ra ripped his way through the doors.

"You'll need more than that old ghost to help you furball." The mummy smirked.

"I'll fight you until Lion-O get here." Snarf tried to put on a brave face.

"Oh I wouldn't keep your hopes up. He has a little surprise waiting for him in the control room." Mumm-Ra laughed evilly at the snarf's misery and then came at him.


	26. Chapter 26

Tygra and Ben-Gali entered the control room to find scorch marks everywhere. Quickly the two searched the room looking for their friends. Behind the smaller scanner stand on the right side of the room, they found Pumyra. Her fur was burned and blood covered the upper shoulder portion of her uniform. Ben-Gali dropped onto his knees next to his mate and gently picked her up in his muscular arms.

"What did he do to you baby?" He whispered. Tygra bent down and checked for a pulse.

"She's still with us but we need to get her to the sick bay. Put your hand on her shoulder wound while I look for the Kittens." The orange tiger told him. Ben-Gali just nodded, his eyes never leaving Pumyra. Tygra looked around but could not find the twins. It was odd but he knew that the puma didn't have a lot of extra time. That's when he noticed one of the wall panels wasn't shut properly. Quickly he went to the panel and forced it open. With nothing holding them up the Kittens tumbled out of the storage compartment.

"Are you two all right?" He asked.

"Bruised and cut but nothing serious." Kit said. Both tigers looked at them. How was it that they were barely touched and Pumyra was in serious shape? There was no time for that now though.

"Help us get Pumyra to the sick bay. Meantime we need to be on the look out for Mumm-Ra." The group moved quickly and soon they were heading out the control room door when they bumped into Lion-O and Cheetara.

"We're heading to the sick bay. Pumyra…" Tygra didn't get a chance to finish as the cheetah grabbed the sides of her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Sahara." Was the only word she got out.

"He's got the cubs. Tygra, WilyKit, WilyKat, help Pumyra. Ben-Gali come with us." Lion-O ordered.

"That monster hurt my wife, if he so much as touches one hair on Tyler's head, I'll kill him with my bare hands." The white tiger said. The Code of Thundera forbade killing but the Lord of the ThunderCats knew where Ben-Gali was coming from as the three of them raced down the hallway.

When they reached the nursery, the door was off its hinges and Snarf was lying on the floor. Lion-O rushed to the nursemaid's side.

"It looks like he was just knocked out. The cubs aren't here." The lion said. He looked to Cheetara, whose face was a mix of emotions. She was scared for the cubs and angry that Mumm-Ra would try something like this.

"When I get my hands on him…" the cheetah started.

"You aren't the only one, trust me." Ben-Gali looked to her.

"Just what are you going to do to me?" The all too familiar voice of the ThunderCats arch-nemesis found its way to their ears. Quickly all three turned to face Mumm-Ra who stood in the doorway to the nursery. Without thinking the white tiger drew his Hammer of Thundera from its sheath and charged at the villain.

"My my seems as though someone has a temper." The mummy smirked as he dodged the rage driven attack. But Ben-Gali wasn't about to give up that easily. He pivoted on his heels and charged again, aiming to hit Mumm-Ra in the back. The tiger grabbed the ever living source of evil around the waist with his muscular arms.

"Do you really think that will stop me?" Mumm-Ra laughed at what appeared to be a pathetic attempt to harm him.

"No but this will!" Cheetara answered for her friend as she charged with her bo-staff extended. Behind her Lion-O drew the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield.

"Ho!" He shouted and the might blade grew to its full length. His wife struck the mummy with her staff in the head while Ben-Gali continued to squeeze his arms tighter. Mumm-Ra swung his large muscular arms and defended himself against the cheetah's blows. However this became increasingly hard to do as the tiger continued to squeeze harder around his waist.

"Cheetara!" Lion-O called out. She knew what the signal meant and hit the deck.

"Ho!" The lion shouted again and a blast of energy shot forth from the Sword of Omens. The blast caught Mumm-Ra in the chest and knocked him backwards. Since Ben-Gali was standing behind him the mummy was unable to keep himself steady and he began to fall. Quickly the white tiger let go of his quarry and moved away before Mumm-Ra hit the ground. His next move was to stick his Hammer in the decrepit creature's face.

"Where is my son?" Ben-Gali asked.

"What makes you think I'll tell you?" Came the mummy's response before he grabbed the tiger by the throat.

"Ben!" Lion-O yelled and moved to blast Mumm-Ra with the Sword.

"You try that and I crush this idiot's windpipe." The villain threatened as he slowly stood back up, still clutching the white tiger's throat. The situation seemed hopeless until a laser blast hit Mumm-Ra in the back. This caused him to let go of Ben-Gali.

"The cavalry is here." Panthro smiled as he leaned on Leanna.

"It's about time." Lion-O smirked.

"Thunder Guard attack!" The order was given from the panther and quickly the Thunderian Army surrounded their enemy. Then Lion-O stepped forward and grabbed the mummy by the throat.

"There is no escape for you now. Tell us where the cubs are." By the tone of the lion's voice it was obvious that he was inches from killing the evil being.

"You have wrecked all of my plans so far but I don't think you realize just how powerful I am." Mumm-Ra said before there was a blinding flash of light and the mummy disappeared. It took a few minutes before everyone could stop seeing spots before their eyes and Lion-O could make his decision.

"How'd he do that?" Leanna asked; her first confrontation with Mumm-Ra now over.

"I don't know but there is only one place he could go." Cheetara said, clenching her fists in rage.

"The pyramid; but why go through all of this? We know where he's going to be." Panthro wondered. Before anyone could respond, Cheetara grabbed her temples and sank to her knees. The pain in her head was immense as pictures flashed before her eyes. She didn't even feel Lion-O's hand on her shoulder or notice that he was on his knees next to her. The words he spoke couldn't penetrate what she could hear and see. Then as suddenly as it began it was over.

"Cheetara are you all right?" This time she heard her mate. The concern was evident in his voice.

"I don't know what's going on but somehow I got the images of Ma-Mutt bringing the cubs home." She told him.

"What? That doesn't make sense." Ben-Gali said.

"No it doesn't but we should waste any time. Get every vehicle that can fly in the air out there searching for the cubs. I don't trust Ma-Mutt any more than I would his master and if Cheetara's vision is correct, I want the cubs away from the evil dog before something else happens." Lion-O gave his command and the Thunder Guard quickly raced to the hangar and the flying vehicles inside.


	27. Chapter 27

Sahara looked at the snow covered landscape as it flew by underneath her. The cub held onto Ma-Mutt's head and the dog couldn't help but smile as he soared through the air. The flying canine had shape shifted to make himself larger so that all three cubs fit on his back. So Tyler sat with Leo behind the girl, making sure the little boy didn't fall off their ride.

"How'd you do that Hara?" The four year old pumiger was working on learning his best friend's name. She shrugged.

"I don't know." The litah just gave him a smile.

"I hope mommy and daddy find us soon, I'm getting cold." Tyler told her.

"Me too." Sahara nodded. The three cubs had no idea how close help was or if they were even going in the right direction but they knew that their parents would find them.

Back at the onyx pyramid, Mumm-Ra yelled for his horrible hound. He was surprised that his faithful dog would have disappeared with the hostages.

"You miserable mutt, when I find you…" the mummy slammed his right fist into his open left hand.

Meanwhile the skies were full of ThunderCats' vehicles all in search of the three cubs. Cheetara tried to reach her daughter through her mind but she wasn't having any luck. Somehow the little one could get to her but she couldn't get it to work both ways.

"Where are my babies?" She asked the control panel in the small transport.

"We'll find them." Lion-O's voice came over the radio. He could sense his mate's desperation through their bond. Just then a voice came over the radio.

"Um I think I found them. They're on the back of this huge dog."

"Identify yourself and your position." The Lord of the ThunderCats said.

"Second Lieutenant Rogali, sending coordinates now sir." Came the reply.

"All vehicles in the vicinity respond immediately, the rest of you stay in your areas searching. When we get confirmation then return to base." The lion commanded.

"Look!" Tyler shouted to his friend.

"There is so many of them." Sahara's eyes went wide. The two looked on as Leo gurgled. The little boy was enjoying his time in the sky.

"This is the Thunder Guard transport one-one-two. Under the command of Lord Lion-O of the ThunderCats, I'm taking you aboard." A voice from the ship announced.

"Yeah!" Tyler and Sahara shouted. Inside the ship, the Second Lieutenant smiled.

"I'll take it there are no objections." Soon he had the cubs and their ride inside the ship and the others escorted them home as he contacted the Lord of the ThunderCats.

At the Lair, Cheetara, Lion-O, and Ben-Gali jumped out of their ships as they watched the ship carrying their children landed. The bay door opened and Sahara and Tyler ran for their parents. Rogali carried Leo and exited the ship. Two other Thunder Guard members went in and grabbed Ma-Mutt.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Sahara called out and was in their arms as fast as possible. Rogali wasn't far behind with Leo. Lion-O shook the Second Lieutenant's hand and gladly too his son into his arms.

"Daddy!" Tyler was excited to see his father but looked around as if he knew something was wrong.

"Where's Mommy?" He asked. Ben-Gali's heart sunk; with everything going on he hadn't been able to talk to Tygra to see how Pumyra was doing.

"We'll go see her." The white tiger smiled, hoping to make his son happy. Quickly the two headed over to the sick bay with their friends right behind them.

Tygra sat at the desk in the medical facility with Panthro in one bed and Pumyra in another. He'd sent the Kittens back to the control room to keep an eye on things. He now focused on the report he had to file later. The door opened and Ben-Gali walked in.

"How is she?" His brother tiger wondered.

"Luckily the wound on her shoulder wasn't as bad as it looked. She did lose a good amount of blood from her multiple injuries but I expect her to be up and about in about a week and a half. I want to keep an eye on her burns especially. The Kittens told me that she pushed them into the locker before Mumm-Ra got there. They're older now but it seems she thought they needed to be protected." Tygra explained. This made Ben-Gali smile before he asked his next question.

"And the cub?" He held his breath. It seemed the world had something against the two of them having children.

"The cub seems to still be doing well. I'm keeping an eye out for any irregular heartbeats from the blood loss. Unfortunately she isn't far enough along for me to run any tests for brain damage or anything." The orange tiger tried to deliver the news as easy as he could. Ben-Gali nodded and tried to process the information before heading over to his wife. Lion-O held onto the three cubs while Cheetara went in to check on her friend. Lea had left Panthro's side and the two tried to make Ben-Gali feel better.

"Why is my mommy here?" Tyler asked the lion.

"She was trying to care for some friends. She is a very brave ThunderCat." He told him. This made the little boy smile.

Later after the cubs had been put down for bed, Lion-O stood in front of Ma-Mutt who had been caged in the brig.

"I'm not quite sure what I should do with you." He told the dog. The stupid smile the horrible hound wore didn't dissipate.

"Sahara and Tyler want to keep you, if only they knew what you are." Lion-O continued. The canine barked at him and wagged his tail. The lion shook his head. Maybe Snarfer could whip up another animal communicator or Snarf could something out of him.

"Still I want to thank you. If you were truly trying to save them, then I owe you." Lion-O smiled before leaving the room.

Up in his bedchamber, Cheetara sat on their bed waiting for her husband. Something was troubling her and they needed to talk. The door to the room opened and the lion walked in. He was obviously tired.

"I think Sahara is more powerful than me." The cheetah spit out.

"Huh?" Lion-O was a little confused.

"Her mental powers, I mean. I think she controlled Ma-Mutt to fly them home." Cheetara explained.

"Could explain the smile on his face but how can you be sure?" He wondered.

"I can't but it's worth checking out." She told him.

"I agree; we'll have to see what Tygra says. If you're right then it's a late Christmas gift. I guess the party will have to be for New Years now. Anyway all I want to do right now is to crawl into bed with a beautiful woman." There was a mischievous smile on his face.

"Well that can be arranged." Cheetara smirked.

**The End**


End file.
